Boomerang
by Darksknight
Summary: "Though he's gone now, I'm sure he'll come back to me." Sesshomaru has been gone for years now, and Rin is determined to reunite with him. With the help of young Kagome, she hopes to find her lord without giving away the events of the future, but finds that such things are easier thought through than executed. (Older!Rin, short chapters, long story.)
1. Chapter 1: Part 1

It's been a while! My summer has been really crazy so far- I've been working so much I've hardly had the time to write. I'm sure I have like, a billion other fics that I'm forgetting to update right now but OH WELL. Inuyasha has taken over my life yet again, and since so many people were asking if I'd do a sessrin fic I caved. This pairing is definitely my guilty pleasure, and I love how many different ways they can be portrayed. I want to take my own crack at them. With that in mind, I'll begin. And please, please, please DO NOT look at my old Inuyasha fics. I wrote them when I was like 13 and they are awful. Really, really awful.

Chapter Warnings: none

ooo

"My Lord."

The stone surrounding her was dust-coated, despite all she'd done. She scrubbed harder at the surface of the wall, heart dropping deep into her chest when she noticed the small cracks in the stone.

"If you were here," Rin whispered, "Would this have happened?"

The state of the castle had been deteriorating for quite some time, but she'd never actually believed that there would come a time when the stonewalls would begin to crack. How long had it been? Fifty years? A hundred?

"It's no use."

Rin straightened and dropped her rag, biting her bottom lip. She didn't want to leave the castle, not even for a short trip down the mountain. There was a time when she would have had Jaken to look after the estate while she was away. In those days, she'd never thought that she would live longer than master Jaken.

She didn't have a choice.

Rin made her way from the main foyer of the castle and out into the courtyard, feet scuffing up dirt as she went. She smiled fondly once she located Ah-Un, happily eating leaves from the brush near the edges of the yard.

"Ah-Un!" She called out to the two-headed dragon. It turned to her, curiously, and waited for her to reach him. She ran her hands over the necks of the dragon, pressing her palms along the warm scales. "I need to go down into the village. Would you take me there?"

The dragon nosed at her neck, eyes gentle.

"Thank you." Carefully, she climbed up onto Ah-Un's back. "Let's go."


	2. Chapter 2

This isn't a vampire fic, if you were wondering. That ship has sailed far too many times in this fandom. (Not that I'm complaining.)

Chapter warnings: none

ooo

The path at the very bottom of the mountain was narrower than she had remembered it being. She really had been in the castle too long. What would Lord Sesshomaru say?

Well, probably something about the path not mattering since it only did the villagers any good, but still. It wasn't just the path- the entire castle was falling apart. Which brought her to her current mission.

Dismounting Ah-Un, she nervously eyed the path that led from the forest out into the village. "It'll be okay." She told him. "I think…"

The dragon nudged her back encouragingly. She was just glad that dragons lived even longer than demons, or she truly would have been alone.

"You guard the castle." She said, determined. "I'll be back."

The dragon inclined his heads, taking back off into the air. Rin was alone, then, left facing the path before her. She started down it, wondering as she went. How long had it been since she'd been down the path to the village? A year? Two?

She came out of the foliage and into site of a road she'd never seen before. The surface was coated in a hard black material, and as she stared, a car came zooming past. It wasn't the kind like she'd last seen- it was something new, something sleek, something _fast_. She'd seen a car once before, and it had been nothing like that.

The coffin she'd been in must have kept her asleep much longer than she thought it would. How long would it have gone on if it hadn't been for the disturbance? If she had to guess, she'd say it had been at least twenty years since she'd been outside.

 _Oh dear…_

She couldn't rightfully call the sight before her a village any longer. What had once been a small, relatively unnoticed village on the mountain's side had blossomed into a large city before her. Buildings stacked high, high up above the ground loomed out against the sky, dotted with odd contraptions and vehicles and lights.

Where would she even find some sort of service man to repair the damage done to the castle? She had not idea where to start looking. For the moment she'd have to start small. It had been a long time since she'd eaten real food- not just the berries and small game she caught up on the mountain's top. She would start by attempting to purchase something to eat. She still had plenty of silver in her outing dress.

That made her wonder if she was even properly dressed. She began to walk, darting out across the road to start towards the town, and looked for any sign as to what the currant fashion was. She had a simple blue dress over a white blouse, an apron around the waistline, and some small brown leather shoes that had stood up against the years. She only wore them when she went out into town or if she were venturing into the thornier areas of the wild, so she supposed that it was reasonable that they would have lasted so long.

She kept walking until she made it down out of the mountains and into the valley- far out beyond where the original village's location had been. The first person she spotted was a woman and then a young boy- the two walking together. To her astonishment, the woman was wearing long pants and a shirt that exposed her midriff and her shoulders. For a moment she worried she would be out of place with a dress on- and wondered still if women even wore dresses- but as she came down onto the odd concrete path the two walked on she saw other people. A crowd was beginning to form across the street, and in it she could see women with skirts, dresses, and pants. It seemed that it was appropriate to expose much more of one's skin than it had been before. She was grateful for such a thing, since in the past she had dreaded the summers and having to sweat inside of her heavy kimonos.

She searched on for a familiar landmark. As far as she knew, Inuyasha's tree would still be standing. It was not too far away, if it was still there. It would be to the North.

She started that way, glad the roads ran in the direction she wanted, and soon came into view of a shrine. Finally, something familiar. At least people hadn't completely rid themselves of the past.

She made her way up the long stairs, already seeing the tree ahead. She knew that if she reached the tree she could navigate from there. Perhaps the old markets would be located in similar locations, and if not, the shrine was high enough up that she would be able to scout the area. Maybe they would have a map.

She made it up to the top, legs a little sore from disuse after so long, and finally allowed herself to breathe in relief. The tree was still standing.

 _Thank you, My Lord, for putting us in a place so near something your brother would have protected all these years._

That was, of course, if Inuyasha was even still alive. She hadn't seen him since the first memorial service of the demon slayers. Sango had created her own line within her family, but eventually the need for the service began to die out with the majority of the demons. She wondered where Inuyasha had disappeared to. Maybe, if she could find him, then…

 _No._ She shook her head. _My Lord told me to remain here, and so it is here I shall stay._

She approached the tree, observing it to see if anything had changed, but found no real difference. That was something she loved so much about nature. Like her, it was one of the only things that didn't seem to be affected by the passing of time.

"Can I help you?"

An elderly man in blue hakama- another familiar sight she gladly welcomed- approached her. She smiled graciously and inclined her head.

"Yes, sir, thank you so much. I'm new to town and I was walking around the area. Could you tell me where I could buy fresh produce?"

He nodded, regarding her carefully. "Of course, of course… But first."

She tensed. _Do I have to pay for this, as well?_

"You must tell me. Where on earth did you get that dress? I've visited every vintage store and antique sale in Tokyo and I've never found something like that in such good condition."

She swallowed.

Perhaps she wasn't as in-tune with the times as she'd thought she was.


	3. Chapter 3

The chapters in the beginning will be really short- almost like drabbles- but as I get farther into the story I promise chapters will be full-length. For now, enjoy more angst-Rin.

Chapter Warnings: none

ooo

The concept of a grocery market was a brilliant one, she had to admit. And the shopping baskets? Wonderful. She found herself checking the isles for pedestrians, and if she found them empty, would hop up onto the cart and go sailing down the isles on the contraption.

 _So much better than a basket._

She also liked how everything was neatly arranged and packaged. She found herself amazed at how far refrigeration had come, and promised herself that soon she'd have to buy one for herself. The freezer up at the castle was well worth the cost, but it could never compare to the modern and improved revisions.

Packaging was one of the only things she didn't really understand. It was a hassle to waste so much wrapping on such a small amount of food, wasn't it? And why where things sold in such small amounts? She was baffled by the thought of buying a _bag_ of rice and not several barrels full. Barrels themselves had seemed to have disappeared from site completely.

Cart loaded up, Rin made her way to one of the cashiers, who aimed at each item with a sort of gun that seemed to register the produce and its cost. He was blank-faced up until he grabbed a bottle of Sake which Rin had taken the liberty of getting for herself.

"Can I see your ID, please?"

She blinked. "What?"

"An ID. Driver's license, anything?"

She flushed. "I… I'm sorry, I have none."

He sighed and put the sake down on the shelf below him. "Then you can't buy it. Your total is forty-thousand yen."

She stared. "… Yen?" Tentatively, she held out a hand full of silver. "Is this enough?"

He glared at her then. "Get out."

What good was she if she couldn't even stock up food for the castle? How could she hire someone if silver was useless? She couldn't just let the estate go to ruin. Lord Sesshomaru _would_ come back, and when he did, she wanted his home to be just as grand for him as he remembered it being.

She'd slept too long.

Against her will, she found herself beginning to cry


	4. Chapter 4

Time for a good ol' fashion explanation chapter. Enjoy.

Chapter Warnings: Depressive mood swings and brief mentions of death

ooo

The coffin was something that Jaken had found. He had invested in it with what little Lord Sesshomaru had left the imp because he believed that there would come a time when they would be attacked. He said he could stow away the coffin somewhere safe and sleep for years on end, awakening anew when the danger had passed. She wondered what sort of demon he'd gotten it from.

The thing was long and grey, hard like stone, but smooth like marble, with tons of tiny red, pink, green, and yellow gems studded in along the side. In order to make it work, you wrote the number of years you would wish to sleep over the top in wax, spill water over the symbol, then climb inside and simply sleep. Jaken's idea for it had gone to waste, however, when they found that the coffin would awaken the occupant if anyone came near. Jaken had never even slept for a year in the thing, simply because Rin always became too lonely on her own and would climb down into the basement to stare at his resting place, only to wake him up every time.

She'd tried it out on herself when Jaken died. She'd spend years and years waiting, and then slept when it became too much. Usually she wrote small numbers on the coffin, but the last time she'd stepped in, she had been miserable. With Jaken so long gone, and her master having not returned, and after almost a year of lonesomeness she poured water over the blank top- not caring if it meant she would sleep forever.

It came as a shock to her when she was forced awake.

She wasn't sure how she came into sensation. First she was aware that she was breathing, and suddenly she was conscious of the ability to move. She'd groaned, then, and finally, she'd heard it.

"Ah, dude, dude! Check this out! It's some vampire shit!"

Rin strained her ears, uncertain of what was happening. She was dizzy, sleepy, and blind to the world, so for the moment, she listened.

A woman said, "I don't know… it looks like something you shouldn't touch."

Another male: "Chicken."

The first male: "Huh, no crosses. Maybe this place isn't supposed to be English. Maybe this is some sort of demon tomb or something weird like that."

The female: "Idiot, they burned demons. Remember when we went on the field trip to that shrine or whatever? That chick gave us the whole presentation."

"Whatever… Hey. Guys."

"No."

"Let's open it."

Then there was light. Blinding, white light that scorched her eyes. She blinked rapidly, watching as slowly her feet were bathed in the flickering light of a torch from beyond.

"Holy shit!" The second male yelled.

"Ew…" The first grumbled.

The woman gasped. "A mummy?"

"That's France."

"No it's not, you idiot, that's Russia. Duh."

The female growled, "Who cares where the hell mummies are from? Aren't you a little concerned about the body? What if someone lives here after all? I mean, no one would leave a _tomb_ would they? What if they see the window we broke?"

Rin's heart spluttered.

They'd broken a window? But she had promised Lord Sesshomaru that she would watch over their home and make sure that nothing bad happened to it. These kids- they'd made it past and inside. They could have broken other things, taken the belongings of Master Sesshomaru.

She sat up without thinking.

The three teens screamed in unison as she arose from the coffin, white nightgown weeping dust as she went. Tears welled up in her eyes, and though she blamed it on the light, she knew they were actually tears of frustration.

"Leave!" She'd screamed. "Leave this place!"

And then they'd been gone. They'd run so fast she couldn't have caught them if she'd tried. She cleaned up the mess of glass they made, checked down in the basement to assure the coffin hadn't been damaged, and then let everything sink in.

The castle was in ruin. Everything was dusty. It looked as though it had been abandoned for centuries. What if it hadn't been those children who awoken her, but her lord? What if he had come home to see she had not cared to do as he said?

Then and there, she'd swallowed back her misery and found determination anew. She would clean the castle, re-furnish it; make it shine like new. And she would _never_ allow it to go to waste again.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Warnings: mention of alcohol

ooo

Two weeks of cleaning had lead to her in tears again? She'd thought she'd already shouldered through that sour hopeless mood, but not being able to buy food had pushed her back yet again. She was hungry, tired, and confused, and she desperately wanted not to return to the castle empty-handed.

She made her way back to the shrine, where she once again found the old man. When he saw her his smile faded. He approached her cautiously, confused. "What ever is the matter, young lady?"

"I- I can't." She swallowed. "I couldn't buy food." Caution to the wind, she held out the fist fill of silver she'd been gripping her entire walk. "They don't take silver and I- I don't know what to do. I don't know the currency or how to talk to these people. I just… I just…"

He stared.

"Is that… real silver?" he asked.

She nodded, pitifully.

"Oh, my dear. I don't know where you come from, but hope is not lost. Here, in Tokyo, we may have traded out real goods for paper currency, but there are plenty among us who can get what you're looking for."

She sniffed. A light in the dark. "And… and a way to buy alcohol?"

He began to grin. "Of course." He said. "There is _always_ a way to buy booze!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Warnings: none

ooo

Rin hoped that her taking a few things from the castle would not upset her lord, upon his return, but found that in the end it was the right choice. She traded a few of her things as 'antiques' to the elder at the shrine, and with that done, he threw himself into helping her. She said right away that he was doing too much for her, and that he should not bother, but all he said was, "We history enthusiasts have to stick together. And besides, it's been too long since I was out and about on the town."

While Rin wasn't what the old man's definition of a history enthusiast was, she _did_ live for her past, and she was technically a walking piece of history, so she couldn't object. She talked fondly of the edo period with the man as they walked, the two of them swapping legends and demon stories.

They managed to get her _plenty_ of currency- the elder had implied that she was 'loaded' with as much silver as she'd pawned off, and after that it was a simple matter to get an ID. With money and a sense of belonging in the century, she began to stock up on food for the castle, taking time out of each day to visit the shrine and speak with the old man- who had become like a mentor to her in some ways.

It took a good additional two weeks, but she got the castle in pretty good order, too. With her feet firmly on the ground, she was finally able to approach the shrine elder about repairs.

"Stone?" he said, looking perplexed.

"Stone." She nodded. "The castle-"

"The castle?" His eyebrows shot up into his hairline- what little hair there was left, indeed. "Surely you don't mean the one up upon the mountain?"

She flushed. "It… It was entrusted to me. I've come back to claim it."

"Young lady, you can't mean that. That land belongs to the Inutashio family. Are you telling me you are an heir?"

"Something like that," she confessed. "Please, sir. I only want to restore it to how it used to be. There must be someone who can do this for me."

"I… I'm not sure." He leaned back, chin in his hand, and then nodded. "I'll call up some old buddies of mine. They might know." He stood, suddenly, and began towards the house that had been built up on the shrine grounds. Rin watched, unsure as to weather she should leave or wait outside, when he said, "Are you coming?"

She pinked, and then smiled. "Oh, oh yes! Forgive me!" She hurried to catch up to him, pulling at the hem of her dress as she went. She rushed to the door of the house and slipped inside after the old man, happily sliding the door shut behind her.

"You're welcome to sit down," he said, taking off his shoes. "My daughter is making dinner right about now. I'm sure she will keep you company in the kitchen while I see to the matter of finding you some help."

"I don't want to be any trouble." Rin confessed. "You certainly don't need to go through so much effort for me, really."

"My dear, you brought me a sword that dates back over seven hundred years. At this point, I believe it is I who owes you."

She would have said more, but he disappeared around the corner, then, calling out to his daughter. She appeared a moment later, face familiar somehow- wearing an apron almost identical to Rin's.

"Hello." The woman said, smiling fondly. "I'm sorry, I don't think we've met. I'm Ms. Higurashi. My father tells me your name is Rin?"

"Yes." Rin bowed, slightly. "It is a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

She laughed lightly, waving a hand in front of her face. "No need to be so formal, dear. Anyone who can get along with my father is family. Would you like to come sit in the kitchen? He said he would be a while."

"If that would be alright."

They made their way into another room, a fat cat passing Rin by as they walked. She took care not to touch it, as much as she wanted to lean down and snuggle the cute little things Her lord _hated_ cat hair.

When they came into the kitchen, Rin found that the woman had been getting a hot pot ready. She smiled at the sight, and then watched as Ms. Higurashi made her way over to a cutting board.

"Would you like any help?" Rin asked.

"Oh," Ms. Higurashi looked back and smiled. "If you would really like to."

"I would! What can I do?"

"Hm… well, would you mind cutting these vegetables? I'll get started on the meat."

"Of course!" Rin happily made her way to the sink, quickly washing her hands- silently singing praise for the miracle of indoor plumbing- and then took the knife into hand and began to chop away.

She made sure to cut the chunks of leak into nice even disks- not too thick, not so thin that they would rip- and let the feeling of being in a home wash over her. It had been much too long since she had done this; simply cooking a meal with another human being was incredible. She was starved for interaction, despite not being all that social a person in general.

Well, that was what fifty years alone would do to one, she supposed.

As she chopped, Ms. Higurashi talked.

"I hope he hasn't been too pressing for you. I know it can be a bit much, sometimes, Dad's such a huge history fanatic. You don't have to humor him if you don't want to, it wouldn't be rude."

"Oh no, ma'am, I enjoy the talks we have very much." Rin gushed, smiling. "He is very knowledgeable, and he has been very welcoming and helpful with my… ah, adjusting."

"Oh yes, he said something like that. Did you just move here?"

"Well…"

Rin was spared having to answer then by the slam of the sliding door. "I'm home!" A voice called. "Mom?"

"In here!" Ms. Higurashi yelled.

A second later a young boy entered the room, awkwardly holding the fat cat Rin had noticed earlier. "Oh. Hey." The boy said. Turning to his mother, he asked, "Who's that?"

"Souta, don't be rude."

"No, no, it's quite fine!" Rin insisted. "I'm the one intruding, after all. I'm Rin."

"Oh, you're that history nerd Grandpa was talking about at dinner."

"Souta!"

Rin laughed. "Yes, that would be me."

Ms. Higurashi gave a wavering smile. "I'm so sorry, Rin, Souta is not usually so _rude._ " She gave the child a pointed look. "He means well."

"I understand perfectly." She said. Turning to Souta, she said, "Are you _not_ a history nerd, then?"

"Pssh, me? No way. What's so fun about a bunch of old stuff?"

She smiled. "Well, for starters, there's-"

"Oh! Um, I just remembered, I have homework! Sorry Miss Rin, gotta get it done before dinner, ya' know." Souta hurriedly dropped the cat, which gave the child an indignant look before walking out of the room. "Catch ya' later!" With that, Souta ran after the cat again, yelling, "Hey, Bouyo, wait up!"

Rin giggled, turning back to her work.

"I'm sorry again." Ms. Higurashi sighed. "He's usually very well behaved, I swear, I don't know what's gotten into him recently."

"I understand completely. Really, it is no trouble. I enjoy when others speak their minds freely." She reached up over the counter to grab another leak to dice. "You don't have to apologize at all, ma'am."

"Still…" She sighed. "The manners in this house have really become a mess lately. Even Kagome can barely manage a 'thank you' between coming and going, though, I hardly blame her."

"Kagome?" Rin tilted her head, smiling fondly again. How long had it been since she'd seen _her_ Kagome? Certainly the woman had visited the castle without Inuyasha, at least once. Still, it had been a very, very long time. She wondered if she was alright… "I used to have a very good friend named Kagome. She was just… wonderful."

Ms. Higurashi chuckled. "Well, I like to think my daughter Kagome is wonderful, too. She certainly is exceeding my expectations." She laughed again, as though she'd told some sort of inside-joke. "Ah, perhaps you'll get to meet her tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Well, you _are_ staying for dinner, aren't you?"

Rin flushed. "Oh, oh I couldn't dare to impose, I don't want to trouble you-"

"Nonsense!" Miss Higurashi waved a hand in front of her face again, as though wafting away the issue itself. "You're perfectly welcome to eat with us. You're helping cook, after all, you deserve it."

"Still…"

"I would be very sad to see you leave without a meal, dear. Unless you have previous obligations, that is."

"Well…" She bit her lip. She didn't want to leave Ah-Un and the castle along for so long, but then, what harm could just a little longer make? "If… if you really do want for me to stay."

"Yes! It would be a treat. If Kagome can't make it back, then we'll still have enough mouths to feed. I absolutely dread packing up left-overs."

"I see." Rin smiled again- cheeks beginning to hurt a little from just how often she'd grinned that night. It was a good feeling to smile so much again. "Where is you daughter? Perhaps we should call her?"

Miss Higurashi froze. "Um…"

"Sick!"

They both turned to find the elder standing in the doorway, nodding to himself.

"Kagome has contracted chocolatism." He gravely said. "She's in the hospital. It's tragic, really, who knows if she will even be home this month, my poor, poor-"

"Mom!" A new voice suddenly sang from the door. "I'm home!"

Ms. Higurashi and her father shared a look of panic. Rin watched on, confused.

"I-In here." Ms. Higurashi called out, tentatively.

"Ah, y-yes!" Her father followed. "We're so glad you're, um, back from the emergency room, Kagome dearest!"

"Quit fooling around, Gramps." The voice said. "You and your fake diseases."

That's when the new voice's owner entered the kitchen.

Rin's eyes went wide as the knife slipped from her hand, clattering loudly on the cutting board. It couldn't be. How? It was impossible!

"K… Kagome."


	7. Chapter 7

Thank you so much to everyone who has followed; a special shout out to those who have reviewed!

Chapter warnings: none

ooo

Dinner was an awkward affair. It was clear that every person at the table was hiding something, and it wasn't just that they knew Souta had stuffed Buoyo in his shirt despite the boy thinking it wasn't apparent. The moment Rin had uttered Kagome's name they'd all clammed up, and shortly after that, Ms. Higurashi awkwardly asked to continue on to dinner.

"So, ah, Kagome," Rin said with a forced smile. "I'm, uh, glad you're back from the hospital?" She was trying to play along. She knew if she didn't question them, then they most likely wouldn't question her. It was better that way.

"Oh, yeah…" Kagome nervously chuckled. "Fit as a fiddle!"

It wasn't that Rin didn't want to tell them all what she knew. She wanted to explain herself and tell Kagome how everything would go down in the past- tell her not to give up, because they _would_ defeat Naraku, tell her that Inuyasha would love her as much as she loved him, tell her about Miroku and Sango and Shippo... But she didn't know the slightest thing abut time travel. What if revealing what happened would alter the outcome? Things may not have been the best as they were, but she would never want to endanger what time she _did_ have with Lord Sesshomaru. And, well, you know. The outcome of the world was a thing, too.

They'd have to find some sort of middle ground and ignore everything that was being left unsaid.

"So." Rin awkwardly began. "Kagome… What's your favorite animal?"

For a moment the table just stared at her. The cat squirmed under Souta's shirt and the boy tried desperately to keep the lump immobile. Gramps cleared his throat.

"Um." Kagome blinked. "Dogs."

 _Gotcha._ Rin smiled. "That's something we have in common then!"

"Yeah! Though, well, they can be… _annoying_ sometimes."

 _So she's still fighting with Inuyasha. According to Sango, though, that went on for a very, very long time._ "That aside, they're still protective when it matters, right?"

Kagome blushed, looking down at her food. She stirred it around her plate with her chopsticks. "Yes… I guess that's true."

"And they're strong-"

"And cute!"

"And gentle,"

"But determined,"

"Not to mention courageous,"

"And loyal."

"And-"

Ms. Higurashi cleared her throat.

Rin and Kagome both flushed, returning to themselves.

Kagome coughed. "Uh. Yeah. Dogs are nice."

Rin nodded. "Y-yep."

Souta rolled his eyes, muttering, "Sis, you're not fooling anyone."

Kagome shot him a glare, but couldn't reply before Gramps was saying, "They have every right to respect the dog! Why, the historical significance of the canine dates back for centuries on end!"

"More beef, anyone?" Ms. Higurashi sighed.

"I'd like some!" Souta squeaked as Bouyo finally escaped from his shirt. He watched on sadly as the cat scrambled from the room, muttering, "Traitor," as the feline went.

For a second it fell quiet. Gramps and Ms. Higurashi threw a couple of comments about the weather back and forth. As dinner disappeared steadily from the hot pot and the plates, Rin leaned back on her hands, watching as the family interacted.

She'd missed it.

"Thank you." She said suddenly. The family paused and turned to her. "For having me for dinner, I mean. It's been so long…"

Ms. Higurashi frowned. "Oh, dear, you're welcome here any time."

"Yeah," Kagome seconded. "It's always nice to have another person at the table. You should come back."

Rin tucked her hair back behind her ear, looking off to the side of the table. "You're too kind to me, really. I would not want to trouble you."

"It's no trouble at all!" Ms. Higurashi insisted.

"For me to come into your home and eat your food, really, it is a hassle." She laughed a little. Suddenly, though, she realized something. The perfect solution. "But… perhaps you would be interested in eating with me again? The castle is not far away; I would be very happy to make you all a meal!"

Ms. Higurashi frowned. "We wouldn't want to make you go through so much for-"

"Yes!" Gramps cried, pounding a fist on the table. There were stars in his eyes. "We would absolutely love to come to the history-rich castle you have, young lady! F-for the pleasure of your company, of course."

Rin giggled.

Souta sighed. "Man, more boring history stuff."

Rin smiled again. Souta reminded her a lot of a younger Kohaku. She missed her friend, and saw a lot of him in Souta, so she bet that she could interest him with a simple line, "Oh, Souta, I'd love to show you the weapon collection at the castle."

The boy pursed his lips, as though he were thinking it over. Clearly, she'd already won. "Hm… well, I suppose it would be rude not to show up…"

"Great!" Rin cheered. "How about this weekend?"

Ms. Higurashi tapped her chin. "Hm… I don't see why not." She turned to her daughter. "Kagome?"

"The- uh, my _friends_ don't have plans this week since I have tests and they want to, um, rest up." She frowned, suddenly. "Though, I'm not so sure if I can manage to get Inuyasha to leave me alone the whole time…"

"I'm sure he'll understand." Ms. Higurashi decided.

Rin pretended to be oblivious to Inuyasha's mention. "It's perfect!" She hoped no one noticed how sad she'd suddenly become at the mention of the hanyou. She missed him just as much as she missed Kagome, but it was likely he'd never come to see her. Kagome was the one with the time-traveling powers, after all, wasn't she?

She should have asked the Kagome she knew more about it. If mikos could travel through time, then perhaps she could have enlisted Kagome's help to… no. No, it was stupid, the time had passed and she had no idea where the older Kagome was- and she couldn't just reveal herself to the younger one, could she?

Still. If everything went according to plan, she could actually befriend Kagome again. Even if it wasn't the same as before… it was better than nothing.

Rin left that evening with a list of places to call to have the castle restored. She spent the night talking to Ah-Un as she went about the palace replacing the rice paper on the doors and screens.

She went to sleep outside, that night, curled up against Ah-Un beneath the stars. _Lord Sesshomaru would be proud._ She decided. And that was enough to make her happiness last.


	8. Chapter 8

"Ah, ah, please- don't touch the furniture!" Rin worried over the men in her house, walking about with a tray loaded up with tea. "It is very important!" Lord Sesshomaru would absolutely abhor anyone touching his sofa, after all.

The palace repairs were going faster than she had anticipated, but they were also more chaotic than she thought they would be. Already the garden was blooming again, the pond had koi in it, the paths were covered in grey and white pebbles, and the broken window had been replaced. The stone all about the castle was being re-done, too, some chunks taken out while others were simply filled in. It wasn't what it had been- but it was good enough for her. Seeing the castle so beautiful again was enough to make her laugh with giddiness.

"Sorry, Lady Rin."

Being called Lady Rin again was something that also made her feel renewed. It had been so long since she'd been anything other than just a girl, but when she had a castle and the cash to go with it, people showed her almost as much respect as the demons of the western lands did.

"Please watch the vase!"

Rin also had to marvel at how far she'd come as a person. There was a time not so long ago where having so many humans around her, especially while she was alone, would have unnerved her. Though she still wasn't comfortable with it- especially with the grown men- she felt at ease knowing that she could defend herself, which hadn't been true when she was a child. Sesshomaru had been very adamant in teaching her how to fight, over the years, and even if she didn't want to hurt anyone, she knew when the situation demanded it.

The thought of fighting made her feel like her old self again, too. It took everything within her to repress the urge to begin singing at the top of her voice. As things were, she couldn't help but hum to herself as she walked about overseeing the construction.

If master Jaken were there, he would probably tell her she was being stupid, getting so excited over repairs. But she couldn't help it. The better the castle looked, the closer she felt to Lord Sesshomaru. In some ways, the estate was a small part of him that he'd left with her.

"Lady Rin, what would you like for us to do with the old wood?"

She blinked. "Um… burn it?"

The two who had approached her looked at each other in concern. "Ma'am… this is very old, very valuable wood. Even if it won't work as part of the buildings anymore, artists would pay a fortune to use it for carving."

"Oh." She tilted her head, thinking. "Um… could you find a buyer? I'll pay you to take care of it."

They grinned. "Yes ma'am!"

She made sure to put money into replacing the old materials with only the _best_ kinds of new ones. Were it her house alone, she would have settled for whatever materials worked, luxurious or not, but she knew that Sesshomaru cared very much about looking better than others.

Everything would be perfect.

"Lady Rin, would you mind unlocking the master bedroom? We can't seem to get to-"

She chilled. "No." She said steadily. "No one may enter that room. Ever."

She revoked her earlier statement. _Almost_ everything would be perfect.

She quickly left the grounds in search of Ah-Un, who would be hiding in the forest. She'd had enough interaction with people for the day.


	9. Chapter 9

Rin had never been the best at traditional cooking. She could make just about anything over a campfire, but boiling water on the stove? Different story entirely. Despite this, she committed herself to the newly renovated kitchen, the instructions from the cookbook she'd purchased ingrained into her mind.

Rice was easy, she promised herself. Two parts water for every one part rice. Boil. Yeah, easy.

Fish was easy, she swore. Base in oil, salt, and seasoning. Bake. Yeah, easy-peasy.

Vegies were easy, she knew. Chop, sauté, and serve. Nothing easier. Yeah. Easy as pie.

Ah-Un loudly groaned outside, snorting in the smoke coming from the open windows. She groaned and slammed her head against the countertop. Burnt. Everything was burnt. How was that even possible? Who burned _rice_?!

"You started early for a reason." She said to herself. Jaken would yell at her for talking to herself if he was there, but she couldn't help it. If she stayed silent for too long she would start to get scared of going mute again. "Just… start over. New. It will be fine!"

It wasn't. She didn't burn everything, but instead, everything came out mushy. The rice was like pudding, the vegetables were limp, and the fish was puffed up full of too much oil. Slimy, gross, not suitable to eat.

The Higurashi family would be there soon, too.

"Ahhhhh!" She screamed, frantically flipping through the cookbook. What could she have missed? She'd done what it said to do! A simple, easy meal for a family!

She made it to the back of the cookbook, and suddenly, she could see the light. A small ad, placed in one of the last pages. The future was a truly divine place.

 _Hiyoshi's Meals to Go- door to door dinner service._

"I'm saved!" Rin cheered. So what if she didn't know how to use a phone? The construction workers had set up a line during the renovation. She could do it if she tried, she was sure.

All she had to do was put the numbers from the page in the machine with the buttons. She lifted the phone from the cradle, dialed, and then testily put the phone to her ear.

For a moment, it just made an odd rumbling noise. What sort of instrument was that? It didn't sound natural. Had she not done it right? How was she supposed to start over? Why, she-

"Hiyoshi's Meals To Go- Tokyo West."

"Ah!" Rin almost dropped the phone. There really was a voice coming from the phone. "It works!"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, um, yes! Forgive me, you, um, worker, you." She swallowed. _Stupid Rin, get it together!_ "I need a meal. For eating. Yes."

"Uh… okay? Which one?"

 _Don't panic, don't panic, don't panic!_ "The best you have?" she squeaked.

"Okay. How many people?"

 _It worked!_ "Oh! Five, please."

"And to what address are we delivering?"

Rin had already figured out the address when directing the construction workers to the castle, so she was able to quickly give it out. The man on the line told her the cost of the food, she said it was fine, and then they said it would be fifteen minutes until they where there.

Fifteen minutes! She couldn't even cook a meal in fifteen minutes, let alone deliver it! The future was an amazing place to be. Or, uh, the present. She tried not to dwell too hard on the mechanics of it all.

"Ah-Un!" Rin called, leaping out of the open window and to the porch.

The dragon lazily lifted its heads, regarding her through sleepy eyes.

"We've got to go get the food!"

He turned his heads towards the window, as if to ask what had happened to the food Rin had made.

"Oh, right!" She hurtled back through the window and into the kitchen, frantically scraping out her pots and pans into the garbage. She tied up the bag, and then, not sure what to do with it, grabbed it and threw it in the coat closet in the entryway. "Done."

She exited through the actual door, then, running bare-foot out to Ah-Un. She hopped up onto his back and started up over the trees, taking in the setting sun… Only to see a small car turning into her driveway.

"Oh dear." She watched, wide-eyed. "The Higurashi family."

The driveway was long. It would take them at least five minutes to get up. And she'd already spent a little over ten taking care of the garbage. "I can make it." She decided. "I can make it!"

They flew past the car and down to the base of the mountain, where Rin nervously waited. She'd had the foresight to grab a fist full of paper money, and to her delight, another car came ambling into her drive almost as soon as Ah-Un hid back in the trees.

"Um…" A man climbed out of the car. "Order for-"

"Me!" She slapped the bills down into the man's hand and started jumping in place.

"Oh… kay?" He reached back behind him and produced two huge bags. "Here you-"

"Thank you!" Rin grabbed the bags and ran, not even bothering to turn when the man yelled that she'd forgotten her change. She made a direct sprint for Ah-Un, climbing up onto the dragon's back before yelling, "Hurry, Ah-Un, we've got to beat them home!"

The dragon nodded its heads and took off.

Rin leaned forward, blood pounding, eyes searching her drive for the car. She balked when she saw they were already pulling into the courtyard of the castle. She couldn't set down there- they'd se Ah-Un and then there'd be questions. She couldn't even reveal she'd left or they'd wonder how she'd gotten back so fast or even gone past them so-

"Ah-Un, set down over there!" She nodded her head to the outside of the castle, where dirt met wild land, and gasped as the dragon suddenly swooped down. As soon as Ah-Un landed she leapt from his back, feet barely touching the ground as she ran at the window of the kitchen. She jumped in, set down the bags, pulled out the food, and managed to actually make it to the door right before Ms. Higurashi knocked.

She slid the door open. "Hi!"

For a second the family stared, startled.

 _What are they… oh. Yeah._ Rin knew what she typically looked like after a fast flight. Her hair was probably crazy, her dress was probably askew, and since she'd been running through the dirt without shoes she probably had dust all over herself.

"Um…" She smiled, shyly, "Come in?"

Kagome laughed and lead the troop, shucking her shoes in the entry way as she said, "Wow, Rin, this place is amazing!"

"Oh, thank you very much. My-" before she could say 'My Lord made sure of it' she bit her tongue, quickly changing her direction. "-um, favorite part is the garden. I'll have to show you sometime."

"Oh yes!" Ms. Higurashi chimed in. "A tour would be perfect!"

Rin smiled. "I can give you one before we sit down to dinner, if you'd like."

"I'd like that." Gramps mentioned.

"If we can see the weapons collection, I'm game." Souta said.

"Sure thing." Rin said. "Follow me, we'll start inside."

Rin lead them back away from the kitchen. The castle was an upside-down U shape, surrounding the courtyard, facing west. Rin decided right away not to show them the basement, since it would extend the tour a long time, and because there were many things she'd dragged out since the repairs. Downstairs was filled with things that no mortal needed to know she possessed.

She showed them the study, the guest rooms, the sun room, the library, the weapon's room, and then exited out into the courtyard to personally show them her garden and pond. From there they crossed over to the other branch of the castle, where there were more guest rooms, a green-room filled with more plants and foods, and then the grand bath and sauna. Finally, they were back where they started, in the main part of the castle. The open living quarters, dinning room, and kitchen.

"That's about it!" Rin cheered.

"What about that huge door over there? Souta asked.

The master bedroom. Facing the East it had the most beautiful view of the city below. She hadn't been inside for so, so long, but she knew still that it would be beautiful in the twilight.

Rin replied to Souta with a much calmer air than she had with the repairs men, having had time to calm herself over the sudden remembrance of the room she'd so religiously ignored.

"It's locked." She said simply. They didn't push her farther than that, possibly sensing that it was an issue not to be pressed upon. Instead, Kagome clapped her hands together and announced she was ready to eat.

The Higurashi family sat down at the huge table, all smiling as Rin piled food and china out upon the table. "I tried to cook on my own," She admitted, "But I haven't quite got the hang of it yet. I ordered this food instead, I hope you don't mind!"

"How thoughtful of you!" Ms. Higurashi said. "If you're having trouble cooking, dear, I can teach you. It's been a hobby of mine since I was a young girl."

"That would be amazing, thank you!" Rin had always loved learning, and hadn't had a real mentor since Keade's passing when she was only seventeen. Having a new instructor would be incredible.

As they ate, they questioned Rin about life up on the mountain. Rin enjoyed talking about it, since she'd lived there so long and knew all about it. "Come winter," She said, "I'm not sure what I'm going to do."

In the past, Sesshomaru had no problem warming the palace with fires, but she wasn't sure how to do it herself. He'd always cut down the trees growing out of control and used those, but she wasn't sure if she could. Well, she could always invest in an axe.

"Blankets?" Souta tried.

They all laughed. "Guess I'll have to do that!" Rin agreed.

As night started to fall heavily over the grounds, Rin turned on the castle lights, once again singing praise for the future and the wonder of electricity. Still, they talked, the five of them tiptoeing around things they couldn't say.

"So, Kagome, how's school?"

"Good!" _I think?_

"Rin, how are you adjusting to life here?"

"I like it!" _Always have…_

As the night began to boil down to a close, Kagome and her family had suggested several movies for Rin to watch in order to learn about the life of Japan. (They assumed she wasn't native from the odd old-ish dialect she used and her marvel at simple things.) Around then was when Rin revealed she had no television, and so Kagome declared that Rin had to come over the next day for a marathon.

"Sounds good to me." Rin said.

 _Too bad Ah-Un can't come, too._

"Maybe after that we can go shopping." Kagome mused.

"That sounds perfect!"

 _Doubly sad that Ah-Un can't come with. Oh well._


	10. Chapter 10

Rin had missed several things in her sleep. First, she'd missed the invasion of Tokyo via the demon Godzilla. Secondly, she'd missed invasion of aliens from outer space- all of whom were looking for the Dragon ball; very similar to the Shikon Jewel. Thirdly, she'd missed the most brutal school of all time- thank goodness. Other than that, things were pretty much the same. People fell in love, laughed, cried, demons were feared and exorcized, wars were waged and new weapons were invented. History was just one repeated trend after another, it seemed. The only thing she was really disappointed in missing was the invention of the toaster waffle.

Fashion was just about the same. Girls wore pretty things, boys were pretty things, and everyone cared too much about cloth. Honestly, this was why she'd always loved that Sesshomaru bought her clothes- she didn't know what was in or out at all.

"Rin, you _really_ want that… pattern?"

Rin looked down at the bright orange butterflies on the red background. "What?" She asked. "Not cute?"

"Well…" Kagome gave an awkward smile. "I mean, for a kid, maybe."

Rin sighed. "Times have changed."

"Times?"

"U-uh." She straightened. "Places! Places have changed, um; this gets caught in the translation. Sorry."

"Don't apologize!" Kagome laughed. "What's your budget? We should start in the clearance; if we can't find anything you like then we might have to spend a little more."

She wanted to repeat what Lord Sesshomaru had told her: she only wore the best clothing. But really, that would come off odd, and she figured Kagome knew what she was doing.

"Any price will do." She decided.

"Well, that's the first time I've heard that one." Kagome laughed. "Here, try this on. It's got little butterflies, just not so… loud."

"Oh." Rin took the small skirt into hand, blushing. "Thank you."

"No problem! You go into the changing room and I'll keep bring you things. Try them on and if they fit, we'll buy them!"

"Sounds good!"

It was sort of weird, having Kagome shop with her. When she'd been younger, Kagome had helped _dress_ her, and now she was older than the girl. It was hard not to hug the girl, or simply say, 'whatever you want Kagome,' and even harder to act like Kagome was younger. Kagome had always been like an older sister to her, after all.

Everything Kagome picked out was perfect. Some things didn't fit, but the majority of the selections did. She wondered, a little, if Sesshomaru would be displeased by how much leg the skirts showed, but knew that he'd understand the change in times.

They all had to change with the times, after all.

She'd have to figure out how to shave. Maybe she'd get a haircut. No, not a haircut, she always kept it the same. If Sesshomaru came back and she looked different, he might not recognize her at first. No, that was stupid, he'd know it was her if she was bald and disguised with a moustache.

"Are you okay in there, Rin?"

Rin started, then gulped. "Y-yeah! Sorry!"

"I've got some more for you to try on."

"I… Okay."

For a second Kagome was quiet. Then, she said, "Are you sure you're okay, Rin?"

Rin sighed. She wanted to talk to Kagome, she really did- she wanted to seek the woman's counsel like she had before. Kagome didn't know her, though, and it would be awkward.

"Rin?"

She leaned her head back against the wall of the dressing stall. "Sorry… I'm just. Um, homesick, I suppose." Lonely, more like it. Wistful, maybe.

"…" Kagome leaned against the door. "I know the feeling."

For a second, they stood in silence.

Finally, Kagome said, "It must be lonely up there, all by yourself on that mountain."

"I have Ah-Un." She said, before she realized what she was doing. "U-Uh, he's, ah, a snake. He comes and goes."

Kagome laughed a little. "Still. I don't think I'd be able to do it."

"It won't always be this way." Lord Sesshomaru _would_ come back. She knew he would. "… I hope."

"Hey. Rin?"

"Yeah?"

"How about I stay over tonight? I have to leave tomorrow to- um. School. But… just for the night, you would have some company. I understand how it feels to be all alone in a strange place."

"That… would be incredible."

ooo

ooo

Props to anyone who was able to guess the movies Rin watched. Godzilla, obviously, then Dragon Ball Z, and finally Battle Royal. Thank you!


	11. Chapter 11

I promise that this won't be angst forever. Just... a little while.

Chapter Warnings: brief mentions of death, my favorite cinnamon roll crying

ooo

Rin laid curled up on her futon, giggling like she was twelve again as Kagome pulled the covers up over their shoulders.

"This place is amazing." Kagome said. "You can see the stars…"

"I don't think I could live without them." Rin admitted. "When I was a child, I never got lost because I could always find my way using the constellations. I don't know what I would have done if I wasn't able to see them."

"Hm." Kagome smiled. "I find that I like the stars more than I thought I would, too. Recently I've been seeing them a lot."

Rin swallowed. She had to be careful as to what she said. "Yeah… it's almost like we've traveled back to the past, up here, isn't it?"

Kagome stiffened for a moment before relaxing. "Yeah… yeah it is."

"Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"Are you an archer?"

Kagome's eyebrows rose. "Wh-what?"

"I saw you looking at the bows in the weapons room." Rin said. "And you stand like an archer." In truth, she was making it all up, but she had to find some excuse to talk about the _real_ Kagome. "I won't tell anyone if it's not considered cool or something."

"Well… yes. I am." Kagome blushed. "You can tell that easily?"

"There's just something about you that makes me say it." Rin easily replied. "I've never been very good at reading people, but I've always been able to read their movements." That, at least, was true. She'd had to learn how to read body language very early on, with such a quiet lord to lead her.

Kagome smiled, worming a little closer. "I have a friend like that. He's never been so good at understanding people, but he can tell if they're about to do something every time."

"Is that Inuyasha?" She couldn't help but ask.

Kagome blushed again. "A-ah, Rin, you sound like a middle-schooler!"

"That's what I am at heart." She laughed.

"How old are you, anyway?"

"Oh, um… not much older than you."

"Why don't you go to school?"

"Finished early."

"I see. Lucky you."

She giggled. "I almost wish I could be in school again."

"You look too old to be in school."

"I'm only…" how old _was_ she, anyway? Well, she supposed she looked about nineteen, even though according to Shesshomaru's age progression she was probably around twenty-three. "Nineteen." She decided.

"That makes sense. You have the look of someone older, in your eyes, I mean. It must be your inner history enthusiast." She teased.

"You dodged my question earlier." Rin circled back. "I want to know about Inuyasha. I hear you mention him. Is he your boyfriend?"

"Something like that. He's… well, he's Inuyasha. There's not really any way to describe him." Contrary to what she said, she went on. "I mean. He's so sweat and gentle and _caring_ sometimes, but then when he's not he's nagging my head off. He's violent and his mood swings are crazy and… I don't know what to do."

"You love him, don't you?" She ignored how Kagome went red. "Despite all of his flaws. You'll make it work, right?"

"I… don't know." Kagome fiddled with her hair. "There's… this other girl."

"Oh?" This was news to Rin. Inuyasha had been interested in someone else?

"Her name is Kikyo. They used to be together but… they broke up. But he still goes to see her all the time and I just don't know what to do. If he loves her, then I want him to be happy, but she's so… so frustrating. She treats him so badly. I know it's not her fault, she's not how she used to be, but… I don't know. I'm just so confused."

"Kagome… you're one of the kindest people I know." Rin started. "You're smart, and you're strong, and you're just really wonderful. I know that Inuyasha will come around."

"How can you be so certain?" She asked, unsure. "And you've only just met me."

 _Oh. Yeah. Whoops._ "I just do." She decided. "Call it a hunch."

"Hm. Well, I don't know if you'd be so sure if you met him."

Rin swallowed. No- she couldn't meet Inuyasha. If he smelled her and then smelled her past self, there would be trouble. She decided to dodge the topic. "It wouldn't matter what I thought of him. What matters is what _you_ think of him, and clearly, you love him."

"I guess…"

"Don't give up hope." Rin said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sure it will turn out well."

Kagome sighed. "Thanks, Rin. You actually made me feel a little bit better." She looked up, then, a curious light in her eyes. She said, "Now… Can I ask _you_ something?"

Rin blinked, caught off guard. "Well of course."

"What's in the locked room?"

Rin froze.

For a time, silence hung thick and poignant in the air. Kagome stared her down without blinking; obviously sensing there was something Rin was hiding.

Rin had never been a good lair. "N-nothing!"

Kagome sighed, and then frowned. "If you don't want to tell me, you don't-"

"No! I-" She bit her lip. "I… I do. I do want to tell you. I just…"

Kagome waited.

Rin couldn't hold back any longer. Silently, she rose from the sheets. She swallowed hard. "If you are curious, follow me." She said quietly.

She reached up to a small crack in the frame of the door as they left, pulling a key from the wood. They walked silently along the cold floors to the main room, until finally, they reached the doors that Rin had not touched for so, so long. Quietly, she slipped the key into the lock, gently easing the door open.

Kagome stared.

"What… what is this?" She asked. She stared at the sword mounted over the bed, at the armor on the side of the room, at the men's clothes and the beauty stand and the scratches in the floor.

"My husband's room." Rin said simply.

Unable to look on any longer, she slid the door shut, locking it once more.

"What…?"

She turned and started back towards her room- which had been meant for guests up until Rin had moved into to stave off the sadness that Sesshomaru's things brought her.

"Rin! Rin wait!"

Rin slipped back into bed and pulled her covers up over her head, suddenly feeling stupid.

"Rin!" Kagome sat beside her, gently shaking her shoulder. "What do you mean your husband? You're married?"

She nodded, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

"Where… where's your husband? Rin?"

"I don't know." She whispered.

"He just… left?"

She sat up, then, throwing the covers off of her head. "You can't tell anyone about this, Kagome, please. Promise me you won't tell anyone you know."

"I won't, but Rin-"

"He _will_ come back, Kagome." Rin said, tears welling up. "He- he promised! He said I would be with him forever! He will come back for me, I know he will!"

Kagome leaned forward, softly pulling her into a hug. "Oh, Rin…"

"I'm sorry." Rin blubbered. "I know that you don't know me very well and this is a lot but I've just been so lonely. I miss him. I miss him so much, Kagome. And I don't have anyone to talk to about it because they'd all think I was crazy and I just- I just-"

"I don't think your crazy." Kagome promised. "How long has he been gone? Why did you get married so young?"

Rin tried to breathe. _Just breathe._ "A… a very long time. He's been gone for a long, long time. I have known him since I was a very, very small child. Our friends all said we waited the longest. I don't know. It is young, isn't it? Oh, Kagome…"

"It's okay, Rin. I'm sure he'll come back."

"I hope you're right." She managed. "I _really_ hope you're right."


	12. Chapter 12

pointless recovery chapter dot dox

chapter warnings: none

ooo

In the morning Kagome left, and so Rin spent the day cleaning. She took the garbage from the closet where she'd hid it, did the dishes, and then got to work in the garden and greenroom. Keeping the castle clean wasn't easy, especially since it was just her, but she had to do _something_ to keep from going crazy.

Ah-Un took her to the base of the mountain again so that she could run into town to buy cleaning supplies, and then in the afternoon the two of them ate out in the forest; gorging on fish Rin had managed not to destroy while cooking.

By the time night fell, there was only one place Rin hadn't cleaned.

It was time to face the skeletons in the closet.

She unlocked the door once more, staring calmly into the moonlit room. There was dust _everywhere;_ to her dismay. She lit a lamp and started on the floors, scrubbing with an integrity greater than before. She aired out the sheets, pressing her nose into them for any hint of her lord's scent, but finding none. She dusted his clothes, running her fingers along the seams. When a cold breeze blew through the open doors she wrapped one of his old haori around herself, sleeves engulfing her arms completely.

She found her old kimonos- the ones he'd bought her as presents. She ran her fingers along the folded silks, feeling the ridges of the stitching and the patterns with a tender sort of love. She could still smell the summer in the clothes, and wondered why her Lord couldn't have stayed printed in the smell of his clothes, too.

She sat down at her old vanity when she was done and cleaned the mirror off before attending to the surface of the stand. For a long while, she sat there, staring at herself in the mirror- swamped completely in Sesshomaru's clothes.

"He'll come back." She whispered to herself. "He'll come back."


	13. Chapter 13

no chapter warnings this time around

ooo

Ms. Higurashi was a saint. An angel, sent from above, purer than every Miko's heart combined.

"If you want, my friend has a job for you!"

Not an angel, no, something better. She was a goddess. The goddess of goddesses. The spirit of purity. A star, fallen from the sky, left to inhabit the earth in all her perfect ethereal virtue.

A little ways off from the town there was a health mart, run by a small family. They had a boy about Kagome's age named Hojo, and the owner's wife kept a bird named Chi-Chi. They were an all-natural sort of place, and when Ms. Higurashi had brought up Rin's knowledge of natural remedies and herbs, they'd pounced on the chance of employing her.

It wasn't that she needed the money- far from it- but actually having something to _do_? That was priceless. She threw herself into the daily task of mixing up herbs from the garden as though her life depended on it.

The boy who worked there was very nice, too. She didn't mind talking to him, even for hours, about the different medicines and plants they stocked. He was simple, nice, and dependable. Not a bad fellow at all.

ooo

-sets Hojo up for future confrontation because I'm awful to this poor boy- :)


	14. Chapter 14

Insert stereotypical 'it's gonna be okay' chapter.

No chapter warnings

ooo

Movie night at Kagome's house was wonderful. Rin had met Kagome's three mortal friends- Ayame, Yuki, and Eri- and was delighted to have them doll her up in makeup yet again. They went so far as to paint her nails, which Rin thought was a completely amazing concept.

They watched some movies, ate popcorn, and all listened as Kagome talked about her most recent Inuyasha troubles. Rin found herself siding with Ayame, who believed love would find away, and attempting to dissuade Eri and Yuki from their positions on Inuyasha. Rin liked the way she talked about him, turning the real events into more believable present-world ones.

It was so nice to actually have _friends_ again. Kagome and Rin became close quickly, sometimes staying up late at night together talking wistfully about things from the past- both warping their thoughts to equate to the future. Fall was approaching quickly; soon the trees would shed their leaves, and she would no longer be able to ride Ah-Un down to the base of the mountain with the camouflage gone. With the autumn's coming her garden would die and the castle would grow cold. She didn't look forward to days spent shivering under blankets again.

Based on the way Kagome spoke, Rin guessed they had yet to meet her. She would have met Sesshomaru by then, though. It hurt to think that Kagome could go back into the past and see her lord at any time, but Rin was forced to remain where she was. It must have been a blessing to be a Miko.

Kagome started leaving more frequently as the leaves began to turn, and with her absences, Hojo grew fonder of Rin. She was afraid that he might begin to develop a crush on her, but pushed the fear away in hopes of staving off her loneliness with the boy's company.

She began to grow accustomed to the workings of the new world. She bought a bike in preparation of not being able to ride Ah-Un so far from the castle and lugged a few space heaters up to the estate. She wondered how Sesshomaru was adjusting to the new technologies around him.

He was doing fine, she decided.


	15. Chapter 15

This one goes out to PurpleRawan- you called it!

Chapter Warnings: slight panic? I guess? I feel like I should be tagging more warnings but whatever.

ooo

" _Rin. If you wish to stay with me, then come."_

" _Yes, my Lord!"_

 _She pushed her hand through the thick fur of his moko-moko, eyes watching his face for a reaction. He reached down without looking and pushed his claws through her hair, gently. For the first time in her life, she wanted more._

Rin gasped, sitting up ramrod straight in bed, heart pounding. For a single instant her dream had been so real- she'd thought it was happening. She had felt the warmth of his palm; the soft fluff of the fur, the cool breeze against her cheeks. It had been so real.

And yet, it hadn't been. She was alone, it was cold, and her Lord was nowhere to be found.

"Stupid Rin." She whispered, hugging her knees to her chest. "It's the same thing over and over again. He's gone for now, so accept it. It's no use missing him while he's gone."

There was no reply. She sighed, turning her head to stare out the window. It was already morning; she had to get down to the shop. And on her way she had to drop off a remedy for Gramps at the Higurashi Shrine, so she needed to get a move on.

She showered- another modern convenience she wouldn't give up for her left leg- and then quickly dressed in one of the many outfits Kagome had helped her buy. She'd since purchased shorts to go with each skirt, unwilling to expose herself should there be any sort of commotion.

She grabbed some breakfast and ran out to tend to Ah-Un, making sure the pond was still full for his drinking, and dropping a steak before him as she went.

"Bye!" She sang, waving at the dragon. He watched as she mounted her bike to leave.

She made it down the mountain in record time, good mood returning with the rush of the chilled air against her face. She started off to the shrine, already prepared to answer the riddle the elder had left her with the last time she had visited.

"The answer is a fox," She said to herself as she went. "It just has to be."

She abandoned her bike at the base of the stairs and then hurried up to the shrine, excited for more reasons than one. For starters, she loved to see Inuyasha's tree, as it was a constant in her ever-changing life. Secondly, if she hurried, she could see Souta off on his way to school. Thirdly, she actually rather enjoyed her time with the senior Higurashi. It was nice to talk about the simplicity of the old days.

As she made her way past Inuyasha's tree and to the house, Rin was surprised to see Kagome emerging from the well house. Kagome would usually have already been well on her way to school, since she went out farther than Souta did, so why was she back?

She must not have had school for the day, Rin decided. She would find Gramps, and then head up after Kagome. She made a swift turn, not even bothering to watch Kagome completely emerge from the well house, and headed towards a section of the shrine where she could usually find the old man reading the newspaper in the morning.

"A fox!" She said upon reaching him. He jumped, startled, and she held out the remedies she'd promised him. "And these are for you!"

Usually, she wouldn't have been so short, but it had been almost a whole three weeks since she'd seen Kagome, and she was anxious to talk to the girl. She wanted to know how things were going with Inuyasha, and, if context would allow, if they'd met in the past just yet.

She made her way to the house, finding Ms. Higurashi sending off Souta. She gave the boy a high-five on her way over- a gesture that Souta had shown her- and then bowed respectfully to the woman before her.

"Excuse me, but I just saw Kagome come in. Would it be okay if I stepped in to say hi before making my way to work?"

"Kagome's back? Oh, she must have come in through the back door. Of course, dear, feel free to go on in. I like to watch and make sure Souta makes it to the stairs."

"Thanks." Rin moved past her and into the house, hurrying up the stairs to Kagome's room.

She knocked on the door once, calling out, "Kagome? It's Rin!"

"Oh, Rin?" The door swung open, revealing a tired Kagome in her night-wear. "Come on in." She said with a yawn. "I was just about to go to bed."

Rin didn't question her- something that she found allowed her to actually hear the truth from Kagome more often then not- and made her way to Kagome's desk chair.

"I'll be brief, so you can get to sleep." She promised as she sat. "I just wanted an update on Inuyasha."

"Inuyasha, huh?" Kagome's eyes went wide, then. "Oh. Inuyasha. Um-"

The window to Kagome's room suddenly flew open, and from seemingly nowhere Inuyasha descended. He landed hard on the carpet, lifted a hand, and said, "And another thing!" As though adding on to an argument he'd just ended. "If Shippo is so sweat and innocent then how is it-" he stopped.

Rin sat, eyes wide, heart pounding in her chest. She had to hope he hadn't met her in his time-line. She was just a girl, just a human girl, he wouldn't realize, he couldn't-

Inuyasha sniffed, loudly, staring at her in horror. Slowly, he backed up towards Kagome's bed, eyes growing wider and wider with each passing second.

 _Oh no._ Rin waited. _Oh no, oh no, oh no-_

Inuyasha pointed. "WHY?!" He practically screamed. "Why the _hell_ do you smell like Sesshomaru!?"

 _Oh._

She stared.

"Um…." Her mouth hung open. She never would have guessed that even after so long, she would still carry his scent. She hadn't even thought that… "I left the oven on." She announced, and thus turned to leave.

Kagome sprang from the bed and slammed the door closed before she could leave. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on! Inuyasha, take a seat, and Rin, wait a second."

Rin swallowed.

Turning around, Kagome narrowed her eyes at Inuyasha. "Don't go screaming at my friends about how they smell." She demanded. "And there's no way she smells like your brother. It must just be similar."

Rin winced.

"No, I know that smell, Kagome. It's my bastard brother. I know it."

Kagome turned to Rin. "Um, sorry about this, uh-"

"She smells like demon, too, Kagome! Fresh demon. Dragon. Something like that." He stood, leering down at her, and growled, "Who the hell are you?"

She broke.

"Inuyasha…" She started. She swallowed. "It's been a while, huh?"


	16. Chapter 16

Big thank you to all those who reviewed! I really appreciate it. Now, without further ado, the chapter I believe we've all been waiting for.

Chapter Warnings: mentions of death, abuse, kidnapping, ect. If it's in Inuyasha, it's mentioned here.

ooo

Inuyasha and Kagome sat on the bed across from Rin, both waiting for her to explain. She'd finally managed to calm them both down enough to at least speak, but now that she was able, she couldn't find the words.

Kagome sighed. "Let's… start small. How do you know Inuyasha?"

Rin sighed. "That's not really small…"

"Okay then. How do you know me?"

She sat, heavily. "We… um, we haven't met yet."

"Huh?"

"Let… let me start over. Just… I'm sorry. I couldn't tell you, I didn't want to ruin the time-line. I'm not sure how that stuff works or anything, but I didn't want to mess anything up for you. Okay?"

"Just tell us what's going on."

"Okay…" She took in a deep breath. "Hi. My name is Rin. You're my sister and brother in law." She took in their wide eyes. "I met Lord Sesshomaru when I was eight. Shortly after we became acquainted, I died. He brought me back to life. After that-"

"Whoa, hold on!" Inuyasha quipped. "My brother, _the_ Sesshomaru, mister 'I-hate-humans,' _saved_ you?"

"Yes. After that, I began to travel with him. He kept me a secret from you for quite some time, until finally I was kidnapped by Naraku. You two found him before Kohaku killed me as ordered, and stopped him from taking Kohaku's life as revenge. After that-"

"Slow down." Kagome groaned. "Naraku kidnapped you?"

"To use against Sesshomaru?" Inuyasha scoffed.

"I know it's a lot to take in." Rin said quietly. "But it's the truth."

"Alright, fine, say we believe you." Inuyasha growled. "You said we're your in-laws. You're trying to tell me that you're _married_ to Sesshomaru? You said you met when you were eight. Now, I know Sesshomaru is an evil bastard, but he's not a pedophile, too, right?"

She blushed. "No, we waited until-"

"That aside!" he continued. "Sesshomaru would never marry a human!"

"To be fair, we did not marry by human standards until several years later."

"He _demon_ married you? Like bound-forever type crap? I'm sorry, are we talking about the same guy here?"

Rin sighed. "Yes. Please, listen-"

"And how is Kagome related to all this?"

"She marries you." Rin said, growing terse. "Obviously."

They both went red. "What?!"

Rin sighed. "This is why I didn't want to tell you!"

"I can't marry her!"

"I can't marry him!"

Rin nodded. "And I can't marry Sesshomaru."

"Exactly!"

"Exactly!"

"I miss the days when it was you guys telling _me_ about the past."

"Well for us it's the future, isn't it?" Kagome asked.

"I'm… not sure?"

"Hey, wait." Inuyasha grinned. "If you're from the past, then tell me this. Do we defeat Naraku?"

Rin sighed. "Yes."

Inuyasha jumped. "Ha! I knew it! I knew I'd kill him!"

"Oh!" Kagome suddenly piped up. "Do Miroku and Sango get married?"

"Yes. They have three kids."

She squealed in happiness. "I knew it, I knew it!"

"So how do we defeat Naraku?" Inuyasha continued.

Rin frowned. "No more! I can't tell you what happens! What if it changes?"

Kagome nodded. "That's true…"

And then it hit Rin. "And… wait. Wait, how is Inuyasha here!? I thought that you could time travel because you're a priestess."

"Oh no." Kagome shook her head reverently. "We travel to the past through the bone eater's well."

"The… Bone eater's well?" Rin turned her head towards Kagome's window, looking out beyond. That was right- she had seen Kagome coming out of the well house that morning.

She didn't think. She just ran.

"Rin!"

She threw Kagome's door open and flew down the stairs, passing by Ms. Higurashi without a word as she ran for the door. She could hear them all calling to her, but ignored the noise as she frantically scrambled for the door of the house.

She made it out into the courtyard when she saw Inuyasha jump from Kagome's window, the young Miko on his back.

 _No. No, don't stop me, don't stop me!_ Rin put on an extra burst of speed, making a mad dash for the well house. She slipped through the door into the well's room, slamming it closed behind her as she jumped down the stairs.

She put a hand on the lip of the well, peering down into the darkness below.

"Rin!"

She took a deep breath.

And jumped.


	17. Chapter 17

I swear this has been done a thousand times before but I just can't help it.

Chapter Warnings: confusion and tears?

ooo

Rin pressed her head into Kagome's shoulder, staring listlessly at the stone wall before her. Her ankle throbbed in pain, but it was nothing compared to the feeling inside her chest.

"Sorry." Rin whispered.

She clutched at the dust at the bottom of the well, not caring if there were bones mixed into the dirt. It hadn't worked. She was still in the future, trapped without her Lord.

"I just wanted to see him again."

Inuyasha pulled them both from the well, strangely quiet. They all sat on the steps in the dim together, Inuyasha on one side with Kagome on the other- Rin sandwiched between.

"It only works for Inuyasha and I." Kagome said quietly.

"I see." She sounded choked.

"That bastard must be pretty charming in secret," Inuyasha said, uncomfortably, "For you to want to see him this bad."

"It's no secret." She said. "It's just hard for some people to see."

"I'll take your word for it."

Kagome sighed. "I'm sorry, Rin. I wish we could do something for you."

"It's fine." Rin managed. "He'd probably try to kill Inuyasha if you were to go and try to convince him that he ends up with a human. He despises them, you know."

"Hey, you're a human, dummy." Inuyasha said, rubbing a hand over her head as though she were a child again.

She shrugged.

Inuyasha sighed. "Listen, I don't do this weird emotion stuff, okay? But if Sesshomaru- asshole as he may be- actually gave two shits about you, enough so that he'd _marry_ you, then there's no way he's just gonna' up and leave without coming back for you."

"That's right!" Kagome seconded. "Something must have happened to him."

"That hardly makes me feel better." Rin mumbled.

Inuyasha and Kagome exchanged a look- one Rin couldn't read. Unsure, Inuyasha said, "He'll show."

She nodded.

"Hey… Rin." Kagome said. "You said that Inuyasha and I… got married. So, um, where are we? Why aren't we, um, helping you?"

"Oh." Rin said. "I… I'm not sure. You moved up North to avoid accidentally coming into contact with your younger selves."

"Well… maybe _we_ ," Kagome grinned, "Could help you."


	18. Chapter 18

Thanks again to everyone reviewing- I really enjoy hearing what you think about the story as it progresses. Without further ado, I give you chapter eighteen.

Chapter Warnings: none

ooo

"Alright, Inuyasha." Kagome stared down at the library computer, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Time for you to use your brain."

He snorted.

"I have no idea what my email would be," She said, "But you, on the other hand… You're not the type to change. And since we'll be the first ones, well, almost ever to get email addresses, you'll have had your pick. So! What would it be?"

"Huh?"

Kagome sighed. "Okay. You need a codename. Pick-"

"Dog demon." He said.

Kagome glared at him. "That is _literally_ your name."

He shrugged.

"Pick something different."

"Nah."

She rolled her eyes. "There's no way I would have let you pick that. Watch." She opened up her email and began writing to dog demon at gmail dot com, saying, "There's no way we're getting a reply, trust me."

She simply wrote, _Inyasha, this is past Kagome. Or, wait, future Kagome? Young Kagome. I need your help._

"And… send."

For a while they stared at her inbox, waiting. No reply came through right away, which was to be expected. Who was on their email all the time, anyway? Still, Kagome turned in the chair, saying, "See?"

"I still don't know what yer' even doing, so no, I don't."

"Well if you would have been paying attention then-"

Rin's eyes went wide. "Guys! Look!" she pointed.

They all turned to the computer.

 _1 New Message._

Kagome pursed her lips. "It's probably spam."

"Well if it is I'll slay it. Just look already."

"Fine."

She opened it.

 _Message from: dogdemon_

 _Oh whoa hey kagome. Howd you know this wasz me?_

She stared.

Inuyasha grinned. "Ha!" He barked. "It is me!"

"Wow… I can't believe I let you go with something so lame…"

Two seconds later there was another message. Kagome opened it, hurriedly, thinking it was likely another from Inuyasha, but found something else.

 _Message from: PriestessKagome_

 _Hello Kagome! It's me, or you. Haha. I'm not sure how you figured out that we exist, or even how you got Inuyasha's email address, but I don't remember this happening, so something must be wrong with the time line. Can you explain what happened? It would be better if you called. Here's my number:_

They all stared.

"… Wow." Kagome said. "I learn to type really fast."

"Let's call her!" Rin cheered. "I'm so excited, it's been so long!"

"Okay." Kagome shrugged. "It's not the _weirdest_ thing that's happened to me."

"I'll say." Inuyasha groaned. "Remember that time when you-"

"Remember that time I pronounced S-I-T loudly and clearly at you?"

He glared at her. "Mine was a funny story, damn it."

"To you, maybe." She blushed in embarrassment. "But I don't like to think about it."

"Yeah, whatever, wench." He reached into her backpack, then, and drew out a small cellphone. "Just do the thing." He handed the device to her, crossing his arms.

"Call me wench again and I'll do the _other_ thing."

"You… you…" He pointed at her, strongly.

"Uh-huh." She flipped her phone open and hurried to dial the number that future-Kagome had supplied them with, excitedly holding it up to her ear as it rang.

"Make it loud." Inuyasha rushed.

"Oh yeah!" She hit the speaker button and then held it out between the three of them, all huddled and excitedly awaiting the sound of a voice.

"Hello? Kagome?"

Kagome's eyes widened. "It is me!" She cried.

A chuckle from the other end. "Yeah, it's you alright."

"Who're you?" Inuyasha growled.

"You, stupid." Older Inuyasha responded.

Rin, not wanting any of them to fight, quickly stepped in. "I'm so sorry that I revealed you to them, I didn't have a choice."

"Is that you, Rin?" Kagome asked.

"It's me." She said. "I accidentally befriended Kagome…"

The older Kagome laughed. "I understand! We'll have to come down there and do a little memory spell or something. I hoped to avoid this, but what can you do? How are you Rin?"

"Actually…" She trailed off.

Younger Kagome took over. "If you're coming down here, maybe it would be best for you to wait and let her explain it in person."

"Fine by us." Older Inuyasha said. "How about we all meat in Sesshomaru's mansion? He won't mind, right, Rin?"

"I doubt he'll protest." She said quietly.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Warnings: none

ooo

Before

ooo

 _"Rin."_

 _Swallowing at the sweet juice of the pear in her hand, Rin turned her eyes up to her lord. She licked at her lips hurriedly, so as to reply to him quicker, "Yes, my lord?"_

 _"Do you…_ enjoy _living with those… humans?" He did not look at her as he spoke, but stared off into the distance with his fist curled loosely beneath his chin. He rested his elbow on a bent knee- the very picture of casual elegance._

 _She considered his words. She knew very well that answering quickly and without thinking was something he would not accept, and regardless, she had never enjoyed the quick thoughtless conversation of the villagers. She enjoyed her quiet discussions with the demon lord before her much more- one reason being because she could actually take the time to think._

 _"I… I do not dislike it, my lord."_

 _"Do you enjoy it, Rin?" He pressed._

 _When she had been younger, living in the village had been as scary as it had been fun. She could talk and talk and talk, and the humans around her would actually engage and reply to her, but soon she came to find that they did not give her words thought like Sesshomaru did. She came to enjoy talking to people less and less, and eventually limited herself to speaking with Kaede and Kagome for the most part. As a child, and as a woman, what she said was often ignored or considered silly by the rest of the people. With her lord, it was never that way._

 _It wasn't just the talking. She didn't like the way the men looked at her, or how she was expected to do certain things and abandon others. She loved to play in the fields and the mud; it didn't matter that she was old enough to be married. She wanted to roll her sleeves and skirt up as far as they would go to slip into the river and catch fish. She wanted to run out into the forest on nights when the fireflies glowed and search for little demons to play with. Demons who had no concept of what was considered polite or not. Demons who cared nothing for age and would listen._

 _She hated how the villagers cried out upon seeing the in-human things. A hungry demon would eat a human soul, but any human would kill a demon if they could. Demons, she decided, were far less scary than people._

 _But was that it? Did she enjoy being with the village, despite all that?_

 _"I…" she swallowed. "I am content. But my lord, if you wish for me to speak the truth, I will say that I do not enjoy life there. The people, my lord, they are strange to me. I much prefer the life I led with you and Master Jaken, and Ah-Un, my lord."_

 _He did not speak for a time._

 _Nervously, Rin bit into the last bit of her pear, chewing as she threw the core away from them. She swallowed, licked at her lips, and then snuck a peek at Sesshomaru from underneath her eyelashes. Finding he was looking away, lost in thought it seemed, she quickly raised her fingers to her lips to lick them._

 _"Hn." He mused, turning a golden eye towards her. "You are embarrassed by what you are doing." He said. "Why?"_

 _She blushed, hurrying to bring her hands down from her face. "They say it is impolite." She managed._

 _"I do not care for what those humans say." He said. "They are fools who know nothing of this world. Do not listen to what they say should it displease you, Rin."_

 _She smiled, tentatively, saying, "Yes, my lord." She brought her fingers back up to her lips._

 _That was another things she loved so much about her time with Sesshomaru. Humans were always hiding behind polite façades. It was not so with him. They spoke bluntly and were honest about their thoughts, and for that, she was grateful._

 _"Rin."_

 _She sat up taller, moving to her knees so that she would be eye-level with him. "My Lord?"_

 _He turned, then, looking directly at her. She was frozen by the heat of his gaze, focused directly in her eyes. It was rude to do this- to look him in the eye- but he didn't care and she didn't care and those human rules were stupid anyway, because Kami, his eyes were beautiful._

 _"I will be leaving, tomorrow." He looked back away from her, standing very suddenly. "If you wish to come with me, than you will prepare now."_


	20. Chapter 20

Older bad ass Kagome, anyone?

Chapter Warnings: Sesshomaru-bashing

ooo

The older Kagome and Inuyasha showed up around noon the next day. It was awkward, sitting young and old copies of the couples across from each other at the table, but Rin had little choice.

"I… I look so put together." Kagome said in awe.

Older Kagome stared wistfully at her younger self. "Look how small my shoulders are…"

Inuyasha and Inuyasha stared each other down. One was slightly bulkier, with a sharper jawline and longer hair, but otherwise, the two were mirror images of the other.

Together they said, "Feh."

"And Rin," Older Kagome began, "You're looking very well. It's been too long!"

Rin smiled. "It's good to see you again, too."

Older Inuyasha took the floor, then. "So. Why does it smell more like Kagome in here than Sesshomaru?"

Rin cringed.

"Oh, that…" Kagome looked sadly down at her hands. "Well, you see, Rin says that Sesshomaru left and hasn't come back in a while."

Older Inuyasha shook his head. "It's more than that. It would be one thing if he'd left for a year,"

"But it smells like he's been gone for ages." Younger Inuyasha finished. "Lucky you."

Both Kagomes shot him a dark look.

"We'd like to help an' all," The older Inuyasha drawled, "But we don't have much to go off a' here. He just left?"

She inclined her head. "It was no different than usual. There are times we did not travel together because of events happening around the castle. There was a small skirmish in the village, so he asked me to stay until he returned. He did not pack things or give any indication that he was to be gone longer than usual."

The older Kagome and Inuyasha shared a frown, passing a look between the two of them. Slowly, Kagome said, "Rin… have you thought that maybe…?"

She shook her head. "My lord simply cannot be dead. He is strong- stronger than anyone." She ignored the two Inuyasha's huff of annoyance. "I am certain he lives."

"Hm…" Older Kagome cupped her chin, thinking, but seemed not to come up with anything. "I'm sorry, Rin. We haven't seen him. We'll start keeping an ear out for any clues. If… if eventually you decide to leave the castle, we'd be glad to help you search for him."

"I cannot leave." She said sadly. "He told me to stay until he returned."

"Rin, come on, the bastard may be strict and all but he'd understand this time." Inuyasha rolled his eyes. "He probably misses you anyway. He'd be glad to see you."

The younger Inuyasha recoiled from his mirror self in disgust. "Sesshomaru? Miss someone? Be _glad_?! That's it- we have to be talking about a different guy. I know Sesshomaru, and he ain't all that. I mean- come on. You'd have to be out of your _mind_ to give to shits about him or-"

"Inuyasha." Younger Kagome growled. "Sit."

He hit the floor.

Older Inuyasha just laughed. "Don't miss _that._ " He muttered.

Older Kagome just shook her head. "Sometimes I do."

"Hey!" He turned to glare at her but she just smiled prettily up at him.

Younger Inuyasha pealed himself off the floor, looking to his older self as though he'd come to face a god. "You… Kagome sits don't work on you?"

"Keh." Older Inuyasha grinned, grabbing the rosary around his own neck to show it off. "Damn straight."

Younger Kagome looked down at the hanyou she'd just sat in wonder. "There's going to be a time when I take the spell off? Oh, Inuyasha, you're going to mature so much!"

"Hey!"

Rin sighed. This wasn't what she had expected.

Older Kagome noticed and gave her a soft reassuring smile and a pat on her shoulder. "Don't worry." She said quietly. "Sesshomaru doesn't care about anything more than he does you. This won't last forever."

She nodded.

"Now." Kagome stood, interrupting what had become a fight between her younger counterpart and hanyou. "I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to put a spell on the two of you so that you won't remember this." She made eye contact with her self and said, "Don't give up hope, okay? He'll come around."

Younger Kagome blushed, hurriedly turning her head away from Inuyasha.

"Let's get you both back to the shrine." They all stood, beginning out, but Kagome paused at the door, turning back. "Kagome will remember you as her friend." She assured. "And I'll do something about Inuyasha connecting you to his brother."

"Thank you." She whispered.

And then the guests were gone.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Wanings: none

ooo

Before

ooo

 _She couldn't remember what it was like to speak. She knew the words, and she knew the sound, but she couldn't seem to bring to mind what it was like to actually talk. She wondered if, when the bandits had come, they had stolen her voice like they'd stolen her family's life._

 _She knew people were bad. There were good people, people who were just people, and then there were bad people. She didn't know where she fit on the scale. Rin felt as though she belonged to another species entirely, sometimes- decided maybe the monsters of the woods weren't all that bad after so long of being called the demon child._

 _So when she saw him, she was not afraid. How could she be? When she laid eyes on him, she decided that he must be an angel. Hair like the snow and clothes like wisps of clouds, there was no way he could be bad. Looks could be deceiving, she knew, but there was something different about this man. He was apart from the others; just like her. Even when his eyes flashed red and he hissed at her, he did not seem to be a creature of evil. He was just a demon, just a man, just a life. He was no different from her, in some ways._

 _She knew then, when he spoke to her, that she was safe. She didn't know why. She just knew- without a shadow of a doubt, this man before her was home._

 _When he held her, gave her breath, gave her life, gave her purpose after the darkness, she followed him. And when he turned to her, that day, and said, "What is your name, girl?" she found it._

 _"Rin." She was not afraid to speak._


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Warnings: none

ooo

Rin folded her clothes up as she pulled them from the basket, stacking each thing on the side of her futon as she went. Doing small chores on the weekends helped her to keep busy between working days at the health store, and helped to keep the castle clean.

Her hands moved slowly, that morning, stiff from the cold. Fall was coming to a close, and winter was beginning to creep up into the mornings before she knew it. Later that day she would go out with an axe again and begin chopping down trees to make fire with.

Rin longed for the summer and the sun, but the winter held fond memories of Sesshomaru. Days of running through the snow- days where she rode on the back of a great white dog and played in chill. Without him, though, she was not looking forward to the season. She'd have to spend less time in the bath because the water would grow cold so quickly, and she'd have to have more tea in order to keep her fingers warm, and she'd have to pull out the furs from the basement.

If Sesshomaru was a man of ice, then she was the daughter of the sun.

She had just been putting her clothes away, ready to move on to cutting wood, when she heard a knock at the door. Curious, because she hadn't heard any car, she came down to the main entrance, only to find Kagome standing out in the chill.

"Kagome." She said, surprised. "You walked all the way here?"

She giggled. "You'd be surprised how much walking I do."

Rin bit back a clever reply and nodded instead. "What are you doing up here, Kagome?"

"Well, aside from just wanting to walk in the snow-" Kagome grinned and stepped back, to reveal that it had begun to lightly snow on the mountain. "-I have something for you!"

"You do?"

"Surprise!" Kagome pulled a long white scarf out from behind her back. "Something to keep you warm this winter."

Rin blushed. "Oh, thank you so very much, Kagome!" She eagerly accepted the scarf, slinging it around her neck with a giggle. "How do I look?"

"Great!"

"Would you like to come in?" Rin asked then. "I would hate to just send you on your way…"

"Actually…" Kagome scratched at her cheek- one of the things she usually did before asking a favor, Rin had noticed. "That's the other purpose of my visit. I hate to put this on you, but Eri and the others are on vacation…"

"What do you need?"

"There's going to be a small thing at the shrine- to welcome winter and ask for luck and all that. You know. A little party. It's later this afternoon and almost everything is set up. I was just wondering if perhaps you'd do me a huge favor and… dress up like a shrine maiden with me?"

"That sounds like fun!" Rin cheered. "Just give me a second, I'll go get dressed and then we can head down the mountain to help finish setting things up, okay?"

"Okay. Don't rush- we'll be early no matter what."

"Got it!"

Rin hurried to her room to run a brush through her hair, and then shed her casual kimono. She slipped into a pair of light golden tights and then puled a short red dress over her head. She wasn't sure if it really looked good for modern times, but didn't have time to console Kagome on the matter. Re-wrapping the new scarf around her neck, she pulled on her slip-ons and started for the door.

Her eyes lit up as she hurried towards Kagome. Just as she stepped outside she yelled, "Race ya'!" And then took off running.

"Hey, Rin! I wasn't ready!" Kagome yelled behind her, hurrying to lock the door, and then started after.

"Catch me if you can!"


	23. Chapter 23

Huge thank you to all my reviewers! I really appreciate all the feedback you guys I'd especially like to hear what you think on this chapter. It may be short for it to take up an entire day's update, but when it's over, I promise you'll have a lot to think about.

Now, without further ado, chapter twenty three!

Chapter Warnings: none

ooo

The race down the mountain had no decided winner. By the time they'd reached the road they'd both had stitches in their side and were panting heavily, but the good mood kept them both smiling as they began walking towards the shrine.

"What should I do to _be_ a shrine maiden?" Rin asked.

"I technically am one and I still don't know." Kagome joked. "I think we're supposed to just be there for the mood. I'm not sure- we'll ask Gramps before we get you into costume. How tall are you, anyway?"

"I'm not sure. Not as tall as you."

"I think my old outfit will probably fit you…" Kagome started thinking, walking on autopilot as they headed down the sidewalk. She eventually said, "I think we'll put your hair up. I'll have mine back, but we can do yours differently. You'll look really cute with it up."

"Are you sure? Is that part of the look?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. The outfit will do the part."

"If you say so."

Rin was glad when they approached the stairs. The wind had started up, and so the light fall of snow felt sharper and colder than it actually was. Perhaps putting her hair up _would_ be a good idea- with it loose it was content to whip her in the face as it flew wildly about her head.

They made their way hurriedly up the stairs, Kagome saying, "The wind should die down later tonight! We checked the forecast." As they went.

The modern era was truly incredible- being able to tell when the winds would come and go. She wondered if they could tell when there would be sunshine and rain.

As they reached the very top of the stairs, a particularly strong gust of wind blew Kagome's brown scarf off of her neck. The girl yelped and then stumbled forward, trying to catch it.

Rin laughed, hurrying to catch up to Kagome as she raced after her scarf, when suddenly hers was whipped away from her body as well.

 _Well, that's what I get for laughing._ She mused, taking off after the long white streak as it sailed over the air. She didn't have to go long, she was mortified to look up in time to see it plaster over the face of someone standing before Inuyasha's tree.

"Sorry!" She said, quickly bowing to them, "My scarf got away from… me…"

She stared.

Quickly, the man before her pulled the scarf from his face, regarding it in disdain. "Hold to your belongings tighter in the wind, mortal." He muttered. He turned his eyes from the cloth up to her.

Gold eyes met brown, and he stiffened.

"My lord."


	24. Chapter 24

Thank you so much for the reviews on yesterday's chapter! Get ready to find out why Sesshy has been gone so long- it's not as simple as it seems.

Chapter Warnings: Rin's broken heart

ooo

Rin fell to her knees, head reeling. She stared up at the face of Sesshomaru as he stood before her, still lightly clutching the scarf she'd lost as he looked down at her. His hair rose and fell in the swell of the wind, tendrils of white tangling in the buttons of his suite as he stared at her curiously.

"You…" he said quietly. "I know you."

Her heart dropped out into her stomach.

He reached a hand down towards her, eyes narrowed. Automatically, she took his hand, rising carefully before him. "And you know me." He said, almost sounding confused.

Before she could even speak, he leaned forward, pressing his nose into the flesh of her neck. Her heart was pounding erratically in her chest, but she felt frozen to the spot.

"You…" He drew back and looked closely at her face. "You smell of this Sesshomaru. Explain."

Without her realizing it, her lips began to move. "It is me, my lord. Rin."

"Rin?"

"I am your wife."

His eyes went wide as he took a sudden step back, as though he had been burned. His hair flew up over his shoulder, tangling with her brown locks due to their close proximity. Softly, he said, "Yes. I suppose you are."

"Rin!"

Rin turned to find Kagome jogging towards them, clearly concerned. The woman must have been startled to see Sesshomaru in her own era, and was probably doubly startled to see Rin speaking to him.

"Rin!" She cried again. She pushed herself between Rin and Sesshomaru, throwing her arms out as though she were protecting the other girl. Confused, scared, and angry, she yelled, "What are you doing here, Sesshomaru? How did you get through the well?"

Unperturbed, he raised a brow. "The well, you say?" He glared at her. "And how do you know my name, woman?"

"Rin, get out of here." Kagome commanded. "I've got to get Inuyasha. You-"

"No!" Rin pushed past Kagome, suddenly frightened. What if she made Sesshomaru leave? She was a priestess- could she do that? "No, stop! Stop!"

Kagome's face contorted in confusion. "What are you-"

She couldn't help herself. She didn't care that something was wrong with Sesshomaru, or that Kagome was confused, or that the snow was starting to come down harder than before. She pushed up on her toes and wrapped her arms around Sesshomaru, lovingly laying her head upon his chest as she embraced him.

"My Lord." She said softly, closing her eyes hard as she started to cry. "My Lord, I have missed you. Lord Sesshomaru…"

Kagome watched with eyes like plates- wide and stark with confusion. "R-Rin?"

Uncomfortably, Sesshomaru said, "Let go, Rin."

She did immediately, looking up to him for answers.

"I have no memory of myself," He said quietly, "Let alone you."


	25. Chapter 25

I promise I'm going to explain why Kagome chills out and leaves them alone in due time, though it may take a little while. All will become clear. Now, to explain what happened to Sesshomaru...

Chapter Warnings: descriptions of violence

ooo

"I was lead here in search of that tree," He explained, staring into her eyes like he was trying to understand why she was listening. "I had heard that Inuyasha was pinned there, and thought perhaps there would be some part of myself tied to it. While it was an unlikely chance, I have come down to some of my very last resources. I feel like a fool, now, for not seeking out such a significant place in order to find any family I might have."

She nodded, hands jittery where she gingerly grasped at her mug. "S-so, you've been searching for pieces of yourself all this time? My lord, I do not understand. How could you have lost your memories of even yourself?"

"I do not know." He answered. "The first thing I remember is finding myself having completely buried my claws into the chest of a curious demon woman. It appeared as though I had been in the middle of a battle when I suddenly blanked out. As I went about cleaning myself of her stench, I came to realize I had no idea whom I was or where I'd come to be. Since then I have been putting together the pieces of information I have been finding in order to re-construct my identity."

"What have you found so far?" She asked tentatively.

"I am Sesshomaru- lord of the western lands. I am son to the deceased Inu no Tashio and the living Lady of the West. I have recovered the abilities and identities of each sword I posses, and have come to understand I have a hanyou half-brother." He paused. "I am caught between not caring in the slightest about him and wanting to be disgusted by his existence."

She nodded to herself. "I see…"

"And you." He looked up to her, eyes narrowed as he observed her. "You are my wife." He said, voice oddly distant. "How long has this been so?"

"Just under five hundred years, my lord."

He nodded. "Even a creature that must have been so important to my old self as you has no place in my memory. And still," he looked up to her, then, golden eyes piercing as he stared at her. "There is something about you which is familiar to me."

She licked her lips, swallowing past the lump in her throat.

 _"Lord Sesshomaru, I was wondering. If I died one day… would you always remember me?"_

 _"Do not say such silly things."_

"I…" She breathed. "I have things at our castle. Your castle. Photos and items that might help you to better remember, my lord. Ah-Un has been with you far longer than I; perhaps seeing him will return some semblance of memory to your mind."

"Ah-Un?"

"He is your stead, milord."

"Rin," He murmured. "If I cannot remember my wife, I doubt some mindless beast will evoke any sort of reaction."

"Might we try anyway, my lord?"

He sighed. "If it so pleases you." He rose, heading for the door.

Kagome's door, that was. The two of them had been holed up in her bedroom, awkwardly seated across from each other on the floor. Kami, Kagome must have been so confused as to what was going on. Rin had simply said she couldn't explain and that they needed to be alone, and though that had warded the young priestess off then, she knew that eventually she would have to face the girl and give an excuse at the very least.

She trailed behind Sesshomaru silently as they walked down the stairs and out of Kagome's house. Outside, the small festival was in full swing. Children ran around with masks and glow sticks, music played, and somewhere off in the distance Rin could hear Gramps yelling out some sort of story.

"What noisy creatures." Sesshomaru muttered.

"Indeed, my lord."

"Come." He said. "You will explain the course to the castle. We will go, now."

"Of course." She stepped near to him, heart pounding hard as she was engulfed by his scent. She gripped lightly at his tie- still marveling at the fact that he was wearing modern clothing- and held tight as light began to engulf them.

This was something she'd used to love very much about being with Lord Sesshomaru. When he took flight as a simple ball of light they did not exist separately. His thoughts were her thoughts, and her thoughts were his. When she was younger, the first time he had brought her into such a state she had fainted, but soon after that grew to enjoy the sensation.

It seemed all too soon that they were touching down in the courtyard, stars bright above them as the glow of flight faded. For a moment they simply stood there, in the chill.

"You are very fond of me." Sesshomaru said, carefully. "I had not realized the full extent of your… emotions."

She stepped back from him, blushing. "It must be awkward for you," She said as she rubbed at her arms. "Especially since to you, we've only just met."

"It is not… awkward. It is simply odd to me that you would hold such affections when we have not been together in so many years. It is also odd that you do not fear me, human."

She couldn't help but laugh at that. She broke away from him, giggling as she skipped towards the house, "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru!" She sang, laughing louder still at his baffled expression. "Humans are _much_ scarier than you."

"You would not say such things if you were to see me in my true form." He bristled.

"That is not so, my lord!" She drew the door open, smiling wide. Maybe he didn't remember her _or_ himself, but somehow, he was still her Sesshomaru. "You often played with me in your true form when I was a child. You're very dashing, my lord."

He turned his head sharply away from her. "Hm."

"I do not mean to ridicule you," She took her shoes off, leaving the door open for him as she backed into the main room. "You must forgive me. I am just so elated to see you again, even if this is not quite the reunion I had hoped for."

He followed her into the house, leaving his shoes at the door as well. "Our marriage was not arranged, then? Or have you simply grown fond of me with time?"

"My lord, none could tell you what to do with your life- not even the lady of the west. We chose to wed of our own accord. I was eighteen at the time, and had come back to travel at your side for three years, then. It was spring."

"Hm." Curiously, Sesshomaru looked around the castle, seemingly searching for any pieces of himself in the walls. "It was my wish to marry a human?"

"We like to make believe that I'm secretly a demon." She teased.

"You are a strange creature, and you do intrigue me, but you will forgive me for not being so enthusiastic as you are for our joining."

"My, you are so open with me, my lord."

"It is best suited to my purposes to be open with you."

"Hm..." For a moment they stood in the center of the palace, almost awkwardly staring each other down. Rin almost asked if he wanted to retire to his room for the night before realizing that he wouldn't know where it was. "I… suppose a tour is order, my lord?"

He nodded his consent, and so, awkwardly she began.

"All of your demonic objects are in the basement," she started, "Along with a fair share of spoils of war and our storage stuff. My old clothes, your broken armor, stuff like that. And I know what you're thinking- it's a lot of junk, but we always make new things from the old, so it's good to save."

"Surely we have the means to buy new." He muttered.

"Oh, we do, my lord! I just… well, I'm not having this argument with you again. I won last time, so it's settled." She ignored his 'hmph' and continued on the same path of tourism that she'd traveled with the Higurashi family once not so long ago.

"Here is your study, I kept it tidy for you, and I've added mail and documents to your folders- but I marked all the unread with red tabs. I've also taken the liberty of adding a space heater, I hope you don't mind, but this room gets coldest."

"Hm."

"And here's the library! I've added some, but I wasn't sure if you'd let me get rid of some of the old books, so there's a bunch in the basement. The furniture is all new- the old stuff was in really poor condition so I threw it out."

"You did not save the old couches to make new ones?" He mocked.

She turned and narrowed her eyes at him. "We've been here already, _my lord_."

"I do not recall."

She just shook her head.

"Here's the sunroom," she opened the door to reveal a lounging area made almost entirely out of glass. "I had a speaker system put in. You had a radio in here before- it's worth… a lot, now, so I put it in the basement, too."

"I do hope you left room for the spiders down there, Rin."

"You are humorous as ever, milord."

"Hm."

 _Hm this, hm that._ She fought the urge to roll her eyes. _He really is unsure about all this, isn't he?_

"This is the weapon's room. We spar and train here when we please, but otherwise it's just a nice showcase for your various swords and such. You took that one over there from a human emperor after killing him. You thought it was… amusing."

"Amusing?"

She sighed. "He attempted to infer that he would be a better husband for me than you when we were in the orient. You said it did not matter if he thought he would be a better _husband_ because you would never let me go since you were the better _warrior._ He challenged you to a duel for me, silly man, and you ripped out his beating heart before he could make a single swing! Then, my lord, you brought him back from the dead and beheaded him in your anger. You took his sword from his dead body then and declared that if a man could not use a weapon then he should not have it. Thus, we left."

"How irrational."

"Well, yes, my lord, it was. I believe it was not just over me. That was sort of the last straw. We were seeing him only to negotiate since he'd been slaughtering countless members of the western court, is all."

"I see."

"Anyway!" Rin shut the door to the room before them and advanced down the hall. "This is the only guest room on this side of the building. It has sound-proof walls that you commissioned so that you could talk poorly of your brother when he went to retire upon visiting us without causing a commotion." She giggled. "It's far enough away from out room that you aren't upset by Kagome and Inuyasha's arguing early in the mornings."

"Understandable."

They crossed out into the courtyard, then, Sesshomaru casting a quick look to the garden as they crossed to the other wing of the castle. He stopped for a moment to look at the flowers; all of which were starting to droop.

"Do you see anything you like, my lord?"

"The thousand year flower," he said. "You have antidotes for demons."

"But of course my lord."

"Hm." He spared a look at the koi pond and then started off over the courtyard again, not glancing back to make sure that Rin was following. He knew she was.

"Here's the green room. We've always liked having our own food, so-"

"Why are these plants not outside?"

"Well, my lord, in the winter all the plants outside will die. This room stays warmed by the sunshine so that we may have fresh produce the year round."

He nodded.

"Then there are the other guest rooms…" She led him past the rows of rooms they had, knowing he would not care much to look within them. "And the bath and sauna." She opened the door and showed him the room- which was not full of steam as it had not been prepared. "Then there is the master guest room, which is where I currently stay."

"You?" He raised an eyebrow. "Did you not say we were married? Why do you sleep apart from me, woman?"

"Rin." She reminded him. "I… well, my lord, you were gone so very long. Seeing your things made me miss you awfully. I eventually decided to move in here in order to spare myself the heartache."

"I see."

"In… In order to keep you comfortable, my lord, I shall remain here. I understand you would not sleep next to one who you do not know." She nervously fidgeted with a strand of her hair as they entered the main wing of the castle. "I-if that is what you wish, of course."

"It would be best this way, yes." He eyed her, then, slowly saying, "At least until I have had time to recall you… Rin."

She flushed, biting her lower lip as she turned her eyes away from him. It wasn't just that he didn't know her- he had been gone so long it felt as if she were meeting him for the first time all over again. Butterflies began to stir in her stomach, but she hurried to squash them under the weight of her thoughts. _Sesshomaru does not remember you._ She reminded herself. _It is as though he is not back at all._

It was difficult to be trapped between happiness and sadness while with him. He had returned to her, but he was missing. Her love was with her and yet he was gone. She could see him but he did not know her. All she wanted to do was take his face into her hands and tenderly kiss at the magenta stripes there, but to do so would be to alienate him. That was the last thing she wanted to do. His home was a place where he could have been able to be comfortable at all times, so even if it meant that she would not be happy, she had to wait until he was in a state of being where he would actually appreciate her affections.

"You have done well, Rin." He said quietly. "You have kept the palace in considerable condition while being alone all these years. Tel me, did the Sesshomaru you know not leave you with servants?"

"No, milord, we prefer to be alone here."

"No companion to speak of?"

"I had Jaken, milord." She said sadly, "But he has since passed. I have Ah-Un to keep me company. Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, he will be very glad to see you have returned. I think he has been as lonely as I have."

"Hm." He nodded. Casually, he ran a hand over the back of one of the new sofas. He continued to look around, saying almost to himself, "This place is almost familiar."

"More familiar than I?"

He regarded her coolly. For a moment, he did not speak, but rather seemed to search for something in her appearance. "No." He said, finally. "There is something about you which makes this Sesshomaru feel oddly. As though I should be searching for something."

"Milord… would you like very much to remember?"

He narrowed his eyes. "Do not ask such foolish things."

She nodded. "I will call Priestess Kagome right away."


	26. Chapter 26: Part 2

Sesshomaru is seriously the ultimate tsunder. 'I-it's not like I'm doing this for you b-baka!' Dear lord.

Chapter Warnings: descriptions of violence

ooo

Part Two

He watched her as she moved. He felt guilty tracking her movement about the room, for some odd reason- as though it was wrong for him to stare at her so openly.

"The mail?" She said. "Yes, Kagome, I'll keep an eye out. Thank you so much!"

He'd heard the woman on the other line- about how she could not risk coming into contact with herself yet again and then something else about a remedy. The woman asked what had brought the amnesia about.

"I will ask." She said. "Lord-"

"I do not know." He said quietly. "As I told you before, all I remember is the demon woman whom I killed shortly thereafter."

"I see." She repeated his words into the phone before turning to him. "Could you describe the appearance of this demon, my lord?"

"Hm." Seeing no reason as to why he wouldn't, he did. "She was curiously pale with a blue gem protruding from her forehead. Her eyes were without pupil or iris and her hair was white."

Rin relayed his description into the phone.

" _A memory demon for sure."_ The woman on the other side affirmed. " _They're not very powerful, but they're very good with tricks. If they can get you to look into your own reflection while they use their sort of, um, air poison or whatever, bam! Memory blank!"_

"I see…" Rin murmured. "Are you sure this potion can bring back his memory?"

" _It will take time, but yes, it will. This happened before once. Memory demons are rare, but they're pretty nasty when the surface! They've never been a big problem since a potion will reverse the effects of their spell, but I can see now that for someone who was traveling alone they could pose a big threat. The one attacked wouldn't even realize what had happened. I'll make sure to send the remedy in one night shipping- I know how anxious you must be!_ "

"Thank you, Kagome…"

" _Nothing to it Rin! By the way-"_

He paid no further head to the conversation. He was oddly transfixed by Rin. He watched her move carefully about the room with a sort of practiced grace, lifting her bare feet as though to step over things he could not see. She was still in her red dress, and he found the color to suite her brown eyes. Aesthetically speaking, of course. He was not attracted to her any more than he would be to another creature.

She was an odd thing. He'd come across many humans in his travels, and found that even if they did not know that he was demonic, they still tended to cower before him on instinct. People feared him, hated him, or wanted him dead. She was a simple human girl, and yet, she did not seem to fear him in the slightest. She walked about him casually, bearing her back to him and smiling without any force in her actions. It was odd to be so easily accepted by someone so fragile.

But then, he could see the muscle coil and expand beneath her tanned flesh. She was fast- he could see it in the build of her legs- and she was strong. Still, she did not seem the type to be assured by the power in her own body so thoroughly as to be blinded to the threat he posed.

It wasn't that she knew him. The other woman, the one who had smelt oddly of hanyou blood- she knew him and she'd regarded him with uninhibited terror, as she should have. This girl knew him and yet she still did not cower in his presence.

She respected him deeply, and was no fool. And yet, she almost seemed to think he was incapable of harming her. She was an odd woman, to be certain.

An odd woman who smelt of him. It was faint; so faint he hardly noticed it at first, but there was no doubt in his mind that what she said was true. She had not smelt of fear or uncertainty when she had told him of their marriage. While he had hidden the fact, he was actually incredibly surprised by what she'd said. _Him_? Married to a _human_? Even the demons of the land where below him. For him to have fallen so far as to have taken a human bride, well, he was not sure he _wanted_ to remember the man he once was.

Still, he behaved cordially to the girl. She was housing him, helping him, and there may yet have been more to her than met the eye. He decided to go along with her and see where things led.

"Lord Sesshomaru?"

Rin had hung up the phone and was before him again, nervously bunching the hem of her dress between her fingers.

He raised a brow, queuing her to speak.

"I was wondering if you were hungry."

He considered it. While it had been a while since he'd had anything to eat, was he really hungry enough to accept her hospitality? He debated simply not replying to her to see what she would do, but as soon as he looked at her again she smiled and moved away from him.

 _I have yet to answer._ He thought, confused.

He watched her make her way to the kitchen in silence. She put a plate on the counter and then opened her fridge, pulling something from within out.

"I do not eat human food." He said.

She turned back and smiled at him as she opened the packaging. "I know."

The smell of blood reached his nose, then, coming from the meat she was slipping onto his plate. He felt his stomach knot- it was raw pork. The smell of the blood hung poignant in the air as she turned to him with the plate full of raw meat and a pair of chopsticks.

She set it down on the table, looking up to him to see if he would move to her. "My lord." She said, presenting the dish.

He raised a brow at her, almost caught off-guard by how well she seemed to know him already. He cautiously approached her before sitting down across from her at the table, taking the food before him to taste.

It was good. The pork was fresh- the blood was cold against his tongue, which was unusual, but not unpleasant. He swallowed the first strip of meat a little more eagerly than he'd intended, but when he looked up to see if she was regarding him oddly for it, he found that she was staring at him with a small smile and a faraway look in her eye.

He decided to eat the rest without commenting.

When he was finished, he made to stand, but she quickly snapped back to herself and said, "I'll get it." She grabbed his empty plate and utensils and rushed to the sink, quickly washing both. She spoke as she worked, tone bittersweet.

"If you would like, I can go out and gather firewood. I know this day must have been taxing on you, and the master bedroom can grow so cold."

"No." he said, "I will attend to the fire."

She sighed in relief. "Thank you."

He wondered why she would thank him for doing something that benefited him. It was not as though he was doing it for her- even if she did gain warmth as well, it was simply a side effect of his own comfort. Though, really, once he thought about it, he did not truly require a fire, since it took extreme temperatures to make him grow cold.

 _It matters not._ He thought. _It will be more comfortable for me this way._


	27. Chapter 27

I'm sorry it's been so long! School started, work's started, and I'm stressed out of my mind. All that aside, I still find time to work on Boomerang now and then- updates just might not be as frequent as I want.

Now! Really quick explanation for Kagome and Inuyasha. I like to believe that once Miroku and Sango's brood kind of disperse as the need for demon slayers wanes, they decide to just travel the world. Kagome would probably be interested in seeing what types of demons and such live outside of Japan. And yeah, it wouldn't really take a very long time to do that- except there are probably abused half-demons all over the place, and we all know how Kagome is with adopting. So they were probably gone for a while. As much as Kagome would have wanted to visit Sessh and Rin, Inuyasha probably dissuaded her. "If Sesshomaru wanted to see us, then he would have just showed up. That's how it's always been."

So yeah! Still working out the details on that one.

Chapter Warnings: sexual mentions

ooo

He was surprised to find himself both comfortable and very uncomfortable in his bed. His body fit into it well, and instantly he became comfortable, for the first time in forever feeling as though he was truly somewhere he belonged. Maybe not home, but close enough. Simultaneously, though, his body felt slightly uncomfortable, as though there were something missing. He refused to think that perhaps his subconscious was missing Rin's body in his bed.

He could not sleep.

He rose from bed and decided to walk about the castle alone, taking in the sight of all that was his alone. He left his room and padded out into the castle's main chamber with bare feat, surprised at how quiet the place was.

It was then that he smelt it. The faint scent of salt and misery. Rin was awake and crying, it seemed. Once he focused on her, he could hear her quiet sniffles, muffled as though she were pressing her face into a pillow.

Against his will, his body immediately sought her out. He was disturbed by how much the smell of her tears caused his stomach to knot in discomfort. It was a sick feeling- not knowing what his body did. It were as though he was keeping secrets from himself.

He stood in front of her door, for a time, listening to her quiet crying. Why was she sad? Was she upset for him? Surely she did not miss him so. Perhaps he'd failed to do something the old Sesshomaru would have done, and it had hurt her.

Whatever the cause, it hadn't _really_ been his fault, so he could ignore her.

She hiccupped in between her quiet sobs and he sighed. Quietly, he rapped a finger on the frame of her door, hoping against all hope that she wouldn't hear.

She stopped crying. "L… Lord Sesshomaru?"

He said nothing.

She took in a deep breath. "You may come in, my lord."

He didn't know why he did, but he entered. He slid aside the door and slipped into the room, closing the door behind him. She was a mess- all puffy-eyed and splotchy with her hair wildly tangled about her head.

"I hope I did not wake you." She said quietly. "I did my best to be quiet."

"I was awake already." He assured her, though he was not sure why he did. Who cared what she thought? "What is the matter with you, Rin?" Further more- why was he actually speaking to her?

"I- I am sorry, my lord." She wiped her face on the sleeve of her nightgown. "I- I am grateful for your return, I truly am, it's just…"

He understood immediately. "This is not what you were hoping for."

She bowed her head in shame. "Yes." She whispered.

His feet carried him to the end of her futon, where he sat without thinking. He made a point of not looking at her, propping his head up on his hand as he rested his elbow on his knees. It would do him no good to attempt to go to bed again, he might as well entertain himself.

"Tell me," He said without making eye contact with the girl, "What possessed you to marry me?"

She blinked rapidly- startled. "Milord?"

"I don't actually care. I'm just curious, that's all."

She smiled a little at that. "Ah. I see. Well…" She shrugged, looking up at the moon through her window. "You are very dashing, my lord. I do not know if what I say will make you angry or not now, but because you have asked, I will tell you. You see you were very kind to me. There was something about you that drew me in, like a moth to flame. I fell in love with you. You are secretly tender, and caring, and once I had gained your love I could not think of anyone I would want such a thing from so much in the world. You were the first man I met who asked me what I wanted. The first man who thought of me as something _more_ than a silly little girl. And I… I supposed that was one of the things that made me fall for you."

He watched her as she reddened, taking it all in. _He_ had been tender? Caring? He held not love within him for even his mother- how on earth would he feel such a thing for such a wisp of a girl?

"I married you because there is no one on this earth whom I would rather spend the rest of my life with." She concluded. "That's all."

"Hm."

"I hope I did not upset you."

He looked back to her, only for a moment, but their eyes locked. Her irises glowed almost silver in the moonlight; deep honey pools holding so much adoration that he almost moved to grasp her chin and turn it so that she may just look somewhere else.

"You adore me." He observed.

"Yes."

"I have been gone for more than fifty years, have I not?"

"Yes, my lord."

"You have not lain with any other in this time."

"No, my lord, I would never wish to do such a thing."

"You would lay with me?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. "A demon? Before you would touch any other man? No human tempts you so?"

"Human, demon, something in between. It doesn't matter to me. It is you whom I love." She giggled, then, holding a hand up over her mouth. "You asked me this after I agreed to marry you, you know."

He resisted the urge to scoff at her.

"The potion for your memory will be here in a couple of days." She went on to say. "We do not need to speak of these things if it will make you uncomfortable, my lord."

"Hm."

She yawned. "And this Rin does not wish to keep you from sleep."

"This Sesshomaru is not kept by you." He scoffed. "Should I have desired to sleep, I would have left before, Rin."

"But my lord, you are tired." She smiled at him with knowing eyes. "You cannot lie to this R- me. I mean me."

"You are a strange woman."

"And you are a strange man."

"Hm."

"Go to sleep." She said kindly. "I do not want for you to worry over me. Today has been tiresome."

"Do not presume to order me about, Rin." He laid down at the foot of her bed, uncaring of her pink flush as he did so. "You may be my wife, but you are by no means my master."

She smiled. "Ah. I see."

"Sleep, girl."

She grinned, then. "You may be my husband," And then she giggled. "Who am I kidding? You will always be my master. If you wish for me to sleep, then I will, my lord." She laid down, then, her toes touching his thigh through the fabric of the blanket. "Goodnight, Lord Sesshomaru."

"Goodnight… Rin."


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter warnings: Jaken abuse

ooo

He watched her waking. She stirred quietly, wrists slung up beside her head as she turned onto her back. She made a small noise of contentment as her toes curled, burying deeper into the fabric of his hakama. It had been all too long since he'd worn such clothing- he'd missed it.

He took in her scent as he lay there in the early morning still. Her smell was not like those of her peers- they were loud with their scents; too abrasive and strong- but everything about her smell was gentle. She smelled like water and grass, like sweat peas and honey. It was a very calming sort of smell that instantly had him relaxed. Another part of her familiarity.

Her hair was trapped between deciding to be black of brown, permanently wild with slight curl. It played against the tanned skin of her cheeks as she breathed.

He thought back to when they flew together- a time when her thoughts did not fall too far apart from his own. While he had thought of nothing but travel during the advent, her thoughts had been overflowing with admiration, a gentle sort of silence, and finally, love. He'd never felt such pure and unselfish adoration from any creature- he'd not seen it in any demon eye or human eye, not to him or from them to each other. It was odd to him that even after being away from him so long, she still held such urgent feelings for him.

He couldn't help but be drawn to her. She was his and willing, she was captivating, familiar, but most of all she was just a very curious girl. She was his polar opposite, it seemed, and yet she seemed not to mind. The woman who acted as though she would hate to kill a spider had talked fondly of him gutting another man to death. Something within him wanted to protect her.

And at the same time, he was enraged by such feelings. His body was betraying him to emotions his head had no way to back up. It was wrong to find comfort in something that he did not know. It was something that could lead to his ruin. She was a mere human, and she shouldn't have had any lasting impression on him.

She yawned. Happily, she stretched, sitting up to smile at him. She leaned forward to touch her toes, grinning further as he raised a brow at her. Most females didn't act so.

"Good morning, milord." She whispered.

"Hmph."

"Would you like to have breakfast?"

"No." He answered plainly. He watched as she stood and advanced towards her closet, looking over the garments within. "I have better things to do. I have eaten recently."

"I thought so." She put a hand on her chin as she debated on which kimono to wear. "What do you plan on doing with the day?"

He looked at the dress she picked out- a pale purple with silk butterflies in a deeper purple- and fleetingly wondered if he'd been the one to buy it for her. "You will tell me of my past and accomplishments." He decided.

"Of course, my lord." And then she stripped.

His eyes widened as she dropped her sleepwear to the ground, stepping out of it without even glancing his way. His eyes followed the cream of her skin without his consent, taking in scars, freckles, muscle, _that ass_ , her strong claves-

He was not sexually attracted to her. He could not be. Not because she was a human, but because he simply did not experience sexual attraction. He did, however, admire her figure. It was as though he were regarding a cake. He didn't want to fuck the cake, but he could admit it was pretty. She was _very_ pretty, in an unexpected sort of way.

She dressed, seemingly oblivious to his presence. She seemed to be thinking about something- most likely what to say to him when he asked her about his previous self. He watched her out of curiosity as she tied her obi, hiding her body once more.

"Let's go to the table." She decided. "I'll pull the boxes of photos from your room."

He decided to go along with what she said, simply to save time since she seemed to know what she was doing. He went directly to the table and sat, waiting as she went to the master bedroom. She came back a moment later with a large box, which she set down on the table. Instead of sitting or opening the box, she headed towards the kitchen.

"Rin?" He questioned.

"Forgive me, my lord, but us humans need to eat." She giggled, pulling open the fridge. "I'm just going to grab a yogurt, don't worry."

True to her word, she returned to the table with a small plastic cup that smelled of peaches moments later. She spooned some into her mouth and she reached up to open the box, gesturing for him to pull out the contents.

He did as she directed, finding the box held a couple of framed photographs and a book of pictures. He started with the framed pictures, raising a brow at the painting of what must have been himself and Rin.

It was titled, "The Great Dog Demon takes a Bride."

He paid attention to the detail; the trees and the grass, the clouds, and the flowers decorating Rin. He noticed that they held hands very loosely, and even though Rin seemed to face the painter with a large smile, he was looking only at her.

"That one's old." Rin laughed. "I don't take it out very often."

"Hm." He set it aside and picked up the next framed photo- one of the remaining four. One was very old, and only detailed Rin- her hair falling from a large bun on the back of her skull while she pressed the tip of her nose to a flower. The next photo featured the barest traces of color, though they may have been painted for all he knew. It was himself standing behind a chair Rin sat in, with a small green demon standing before him. The final photo was mostly yellow, and featured some people he did not know. A demon who resembled himself wore a red haori and seemed to be throwing Rin into a lake. There was a young woman already in the water, long black hair dripping over her eyes as she laughed. There was a two-headed dragon on the side of the bank, and leaning against its side, him.

"That was a great day." Rin said. "That's Kagome," She pointed to the woman in the water, "She's married to your brother. And that-" She tapped the man throwing her, "Is Inuyasha, your half brother. Behind you is Ah-Un, and Master Jaken is taking the picture, I think. I can't really remember, but I think he was there."

"Jaken?"

She pulled forward the photo from before- the one with color- and pointed at the tiny green imp. "That is master Jaken." She said. She reached forward and grabbed the photobook, flipping it open to the first page, where there was another photo- this one in color. "All of these are from a camera Kagome gave me, from the future. A polaroid, so the pictures would develop right away. These are some of the oldest photos we have- the black and white ones are actually more recent."

"I see."

She pointed to another picture of Jaken, this one with the demon looking extremely disgruntled- a flower tucked behind his ear. "This is from the second year of traveling with you after coming to join you away from the village again." She began. "I would have been around sixteen then."

"Show me." He found himself saying, despite himself.

"Here, this is when we visited the singing willows," she pointed to a picture of a young woman- her- with flowers braided into her long hair. She was barefoot despite being in the middle of a forest, sitting up on a rock as she winked and held up two of her fingers in a V sign.

"What is it that you are doing?"

"Posing." She answered. "Kagome always used to make that sign with her hand when she took pictures, so I thought it was fun. And here's you," She pointed to a picture of him sleeping against a tree in his armor, one long strand of his hair braided over his shoulder- also with flowers. "That was me." She admitted with a giggle.

He flipped to the next page for her. He was disappointed to find a lot of the pictures were of commonplace things; sunsets, toads, fish, and many of a very upset Jaken- who clearly did not want to be photographed.

She seemed to sense his thoughts and said, "I _was_ young. I didn't realize these pictures would matter one day." She laughed a little as he flipped to the next page. "Look, there's Ah-Un." The dragonheads each sported their own flower crown.

"Here we go!" She said as he turned to a new page. "We went back to the village a couple of months before we married, so these pictures are of then. There's Inuyasha, and there's Kagome. Oh! That's Kohaku." He noticed several of the photos were Rin and Kohaku- unlike the past, which were many of _him_ and Rin, he seemed to have disappeared in place of the human boy. He decided he didn't care and listened as she went on. "There's Sang and Miroku. And there are there kids. The twins are Yuki and Yoko, and the little boy is Ame."

He really didn't care about these humans, but she seemed to care, so he let her go on.

"Here's Kagome again."

"Is she with child?" He asked, noticing her bulging stomach.

"Oh, yeah! She is. Sadly, their first child didn't make it…" She quickly turned the page. "Oh look. Here's Shippo. And that's Nanami. She was my friend when I lived in the village. And that's Satomi, she's a bat demon. She was also my friend when I lived in the village, though I couldn't see her very often since… well, you know how humans are. There's you and I again. And Kohaku and I-"

"What was this Kohaku to you?" He found himself asking.

"Kohaku was my best friend. Don't worry, it wasn't anything more. For a time, when I was thirteen, I was afraid I would have to marry a human, and he told me if the time came, he would marry me but not expect anything of me. For that I was very grateful. But then you came." She turned to him and smiled. "So we were able to remain friends."

"I see."

She turned the page and then grinned. "You and I," She pointed slyly to a picture of her pressing her lips very firmly to his own. The picture was a little blurry- clearly she'd snuck the shot of the two of them- but there was no doubt it was them. She caught his look and laughed. "I was very young and very much in love." She defended. "Don't be upset with me for having my fun."

"I did not say anything."

"But you were giving me that _look_ , Lord Sesshomaru."

"Continue with your pictures, girl."

"Oh, right." She flipped to another page. "Um, this… well, I don't really have an explanation for this one."

He stared. It was a picture of Jaken. On fire.

"Let's just skip that one." She decided. "Here we are at your mother's palace. She was… um, unique." She pointed a picture depicting a slightly more feminine version of himself. "That's the honorable lady of the west."

"She let you take her picture?"

"She didn't exactly know." Rin admitted. "When she asked why I was pointing a box at her you said it was one of my human games. She then proceeded to infer I was your pet."

"It is a reasonable assumption."

"Indeed." She laughed. "As I grew older and you continued to come about, I was asked often times is _you_ were _my_ pet. You found it amusing enough, my lord, but I was horrified by the notion."

"As you should be."

"Of course." She flipped over to another page. "Oh! Oh this was a great day! We were invited by Shippo and Souten to visit the thunder palace in the sky. You came simply because you wanted to take control of the weastern half, but my Lord, it was such a beautiful time." She pointed a picture where she stood on Ah-Un's back as they soared over clouds. There were a couple other pictures featuring Inuyasha, Kagome, and other faces he didn't regognize.

"There is a demon slayer there," He realized. "Why?"

"Oh, that is Sango again, milord. She was a very good friend of Inuyasha's."

"How… odd."

"Mm-hm. Look, milord, there is Jaken flying on fire wheels!"

"Hm."

"Oh and… that is me." She flushed red at the picture of the girl with ash smeared over her face, hair tangled and blown up like a huge ball around her head, eyes positively sparking while her white teeth stood out against the filth on her face. "I learned how to _properly_ fire a cannon after that." She admitted.

"Ah."

"You sassed me all day for that." She said with a grin. "More than you sass Inuyasha for cutting off you arm."

He furrowed a brow then. "My arm?" He lifted both sleeves to show that he was, in fact, in possession of two arms. "You're mistaken."

"Oh, no, milord. You lost your arm to Inuyasha in a fight a very long time ago. However, at the end of the war with Naraku, you got it back. I… well, I was not there, so I do not know exactly how it is that such a thing came about. I know it is not that you had your old arm re-attached; after Takimaru took it to use as his own you said you no longer needed it. It fell into a pit that night, I think, I can't completely remember. It was a bit chaotic at the time."

"You mentioned the name Naraku," He said, "I have heard of this before. Explain what happened between him and I."

"Well!" She smiled, preparing herself to speak. "I'm not really one for long stories, so I didn't always listen to Jaken when he tried to tell me what happened, exactly, but I know the general gist of it. He basically tricked you into doing his work and that made you very angry, my lord. You decided to kill him. And so you did!"

"I feel as though there might be much more to it than that." He muttered.

"Most likely. I was a child at the time."

 _A child?_ He thought to himself. _I traveled with a child?_

"You saved me from wolves." She explained. "And I followed you after that."

"Hm."

"It will make more sense when you get your memories back." She closed the book, slowly, and then sighed. "The potion will be here soon, and then it will start to come back to you."

He nodded.

"Until then, my lord, forgive me for asking but… where is the moko-moko? And your swords, my lord?"

"I suppose I should retrieve them, shouldn't I?" With a small frown, he stood. Without knowing why, he said, "Come, Rin."

"Yes, my lord!" She hopped to her feet and hurried to catch up to him.

"We have work to do."


	29. Chapter 29: Part 3

School coupled with work continue to kill all my writing time, but I snuck in this chapter while the baby was sleeping. (Not my baby, just one of the babies I take care of.) So! Without further ado, I give you part 3. Please don't expect an update any time soon, though; I just don't have the time for regular posting anymore. I'm hoping to post and UlquiHime one-shot that I've been working on for like, months, sometime this weekend but even that might not happen. And after that, who knows when I'll be back to putting things up? Ah, se la ve.

Chapter Warnings: super short. hojo being, well, hojo. poor boy

ooo

Part 3

In all her life, Rin had never imagined her husband- _the_ Lord Sesshomaru- would use something so mundane and every day as a storage shed. He punched in a password to the locker, opened it, and within where all the thing that made him _her_ Sesshomaru. His armor, his swords, his clothes. They looked a little worse for wear, but she was happy to see his clothes again regardless. Then, of course, she had to wonder why she was glad to see his clothes of all things.

Oh well.

Without thinking she yelled, "Oh, Lord Sesshomaru, change, change!" And then, after seeing his look, calmed down a little. "Ah- forgive me. I was just excited."

"So it seems." He breezed past her into the shed and began to collect his things.

"Where do you live, my lord?" She found herself asking. "Surely you did not simply wander all these years. You must have some place you go."

"No." He shook his head. "I collect enough funds so that I can go anywhere I'd like without needing to worry about anything. I have no need for a home."

"But how did you make money, my lord?"

"I am Lord Sesshomaru." He said simply. "Everywhere I go, I seem to collect money that I'd been meaning to in the past. Demons see me and they say things about owing me heavily. There are other places where, apparently, I had funds stored previously."

"How clever, my lord!"

"Hn." He pointed loosely at something for her to pick up.

"Yes, my lord." She hurried to pick up the object- surprised to find it was the Tensiaga. "Shall we proceed back to the castle?"

"No." He reached out as she approached and took the sword, adding to his bundle, which began to glow white. In a single instant it was gone in a ball of light, much smaller than him. "There are other things for us to do here."

"A day on the town!" She cheered. "How fun!" She clapped once, following after him, singing, "Shopping with lord Sesshomaru, buying things that we need to-"

"Stop that, Rin." He said.

"Yes milord!" She crossed her arms behind her back and linked her fingers, following along behind him with a large smile in silence.

"We are going to that health shop that you mentioned previously." He decided. "We will get more herbs for your indoor garden so that I will be able to eat as well. You do not carry demon food outside of raw meat."

She pinked. "Well…"

"You will get supplies for the coming winter while we are there, Rin. I do not want to have to come back here."

"Of course, my lord, I can do this for you but. Um."

"What is it?"

"Well, uh…" It was too late. They were already there.

"Rin!" Hojo darted around the corner, excited to see her after her long absence, it seemed. He reached her and hugged her- something he'd never done before- before pulling back to smile at her. "It's been so long! I was afraid you might have come down with something!"

"Oh, um, no." She could feel Sesshomaru tense behind her, so she quickly pulled back and away from Hojo. "I had a friend from out of town in. I couldn't leave. Sorry that I worried you."

"This is your guest?" He looked Sesshomaru up and down. "Well, it's nice to meet you! How do you know Rin?"

He opened his mouth- probably to spit out the truth- but Rin jumped in. "We're childhood friends." It wasn't a lie, technically.

"Ah, that's cool."

"Enough chatter," Sesshomaru stated. "We will be requiring several itmes."

"I have the list." Rin said. Seeing the way Hojo was watching her- and worse, the way her Lord was watching the by in turn- she reached back and loosely grasped Sesshomaru's hand. She felt fluttery and worried he'd shake her off for a moment, but to her surprise, he accepted her hand without even glancing her way.

_It feels like we're just doing this all again for the first time._ She pinked when his thumb circled one of her knuckles a couple of times- a habit he'd had from the very beginning. _Even though we've done this all before, it seems so new…_

While Rin was sad that she would have to wait a while longer for Sesshomaru to truly return to her, she had to admit that she was actually looking forward to falling in love with him all over again. She'd never felt younger than when she'd snuck looks at her lord's jaw from under her eyelashes while they held hands; shy and unwilling to push him any further than that.

They finished up grocery shopping quickly enough, Sesshomaru a silent shadow on her person the whole time. She didn't notice how Hojo watched them in curiosity, or how people they passed turned heads to get a look at the couple. No one else could see his demonic markings or white hair, she knew, so they paid those who stared no head.

That night he lay at the foot of her bed with a book in hand, waiting for her to fall asleep once more.

"Thank you." She whispered.

"What for?" He did not look up from his book.

"For trying."

Because even if things weren't as they had been, so long as he was willing to try, everything was going to be alright.


End file.
